North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has stated his readiness to resume dialogue with the US if Washington abandons its demands for denuclearization. “If the US gives up its meaningless obsession with denuclearization, accepts the reality, and aims for peaceful coexistence with North Korea, there's no reason for us not to sit down for talks. I personally still have good memories of US President Donald Trump," North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim as saying during a parliamentary session.
Kim explained North Korea’s rejection of recent dialogue overtures from the US and South Korea, citing their perceived lack of sincerity. He believes their fundamental goal remains to weaken North Korea and instigate regime change.
The North Korean leader asserted that Pyongyang's possession of nuclear weapons is an "unavoidable choice" for its continued survival. He also noted that denuclearization contradicts the North Korean constitution, which enshrines nuclear weapons possession as "sacred, absolute, and unchangeable".
“How can we act unconstitutionally? Why should we abandon nuclear weapons? To have sanctions lifted? Never, absolutely not," Kim emphasized.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaking on 21/9 in Pyongyang. Photo: KCNA |
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaking on 21/9 in Pyongyang. Photo: KCNA
Kim also dismissed the possibility of dialogue with South Korea, stressing that Pyongyang "never needs unification" and views Seoul as a "hostile entity". He accused the South Korean government of "saying one thing and doing another" by calling for restored relations while increasing its defense budget by more than 8% and intensifying joint military exercises with the US.
“Discussing unification with a hostile nation like them is pointless. Attempting to pursue it will change nothing," Kim said.
Officials from the US and South Korea have not yet commented on these statements.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has repeatedly called for peace on the Korean peninsula, emphasizing the necessity of dialogue. He proposed a three-stage roadmap for the gradual dismantling of North Korea's nuclear program. Lee believes all parties should actively create suitable conditions for Pyongyang to return to negotiations, and highlighted the important role of former President Trump in these efforts.
However, Kim Jong-un believes South Korea intends to weaken North Korea through this phased denuclearization plan. He emphasized that Pyongyang will amend its national legal framework to clearly define the two sides of the peninsula as "two distinct nations that cannot become one".
Thanh Danh (Reuters, Yonhap, NK News)
