North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he still has fond memories of US President Donald Trump and asked Washington to abandon its demand that the North give up its nuclear weapons before resuming long-stalled diplomatic talks.
In a speech released by state media on Monday, Kim emphasised that he has no plans to ever resume talks with rival South Korea, a crucial US ally that facilitated his prior summits with Trump during the US president’s first term. Kim was speaking to Pyongyang’s parliament on Sunday.
After his second summit with Trump in 2019 collapsed due to disputes over US-led sanctions against North Korea, Kim discontinued almost all cooperation with South Korea. As he has escalated his weapons buildup and sided with Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been worse in recent years.
Kim’s comments coincided with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s departure for New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly, where he is anticipated to press North Korea to resume talks and address nuclear tensions in the Korean Peninsula.
The media has speculated that Trump may attempt to meet Kim at the inter-Korean border, as they did during their third meeting in 2019, which ultimately failed to salvage their nuclear diplomacy. Trump is also scheduled to visit South Korea in October for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
Kim reiterated his pledge to never abandon his nuclear weapons program during his recent address to the Supreme People’s Assembly. Experts believe that the North Korean leader sees this as his best chance of surviving and extending his family’s dynastic reign.
“The world already knows well what the United States does after forcing other countries to give up their nuclear weapons and disarm. We will never lay down our nuclear weapons … There will be no negotiations, now or ever, about trading anything with hostile countries in exchange for lifting sanctions,” he said.
He claimed that if Washington “abandons its delusional obsession with denuclearisation,” there is “no reason not to” resume discussions with the US and that he still has “good personal memories” of Trump from their initial meetings.
In recent years, Kim has increased his testing efforts, displaying weapons of different ranges intended to attack US allies in Asia and the US mainland. According to analysts, Kim’s nuclear push is intended to eventually put pressure on Washington to concede economic and security concessions from a position of strength and to acknowledge the North as a nuclear state.
To weaken American influence, Kim is also attempting to increase his leverage by strengthening cooperation with China and Russia, two longstanding allies.
He has supported Russian President Vladimir Putin’s conflict in Ukraine by sending the country thousands of soldiers and massive amounts of military hardware. Earlier this month, he travelled to Beijing, where he participated in a large military parade alongside Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to experts, Kim’s rare international visit was probably meant to increase his negotiating power before any talks with the US resume.