North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told the Supreme People’s Assembly that Pyongyang would be willing to enter talks with the US provided Washington abandons its demand that North Korea give up its nuclear arsenal, according to Reuters sources from September 22.
“If the United States drops the absurd obsession with denuclearizing us and accepts reality, and wants genuine peaceful coexistence, there is no reason for us not to sit down with the United States,” Kim was quoted by KCNA, the North Korean state news agency.
Kim also recalled earlier meetings with former US President Donald Trump, saying he had “fond memories” of Trump, but made clear his country will not barter away its weapons.
“We will never give up our nuclear weapons,” he said, framing the arsenal as essential to national survival in the face of what he described as threats from the US and South Korea.
Seoul’s president, Lee Jae-myung, responded by reiterating Seoul’s preference for a phased approach, telling Reuters that North Korea is continuing to expand its arsenal and estimating the country is producing some 15–20 nuclear devices a year; he said a negotiated freeze on production could form the basis for further reductions.
The statements raise immediate diplomatic questions, including whether they create an opening for direct US–North Korea engagement during upcoming regional meetings. Observers cautioned that while Kim’s remarks signal willingness to talk under altered terms, they also reinforce Pyongyang’s insistence on retaining nuclear capability as a non-negotiable element of its security posture.
Earlier, it was reported that North Korea expanded missile production with a new automated plant and had already transferred multiple KN-23 missiles to Russia for use against Ukrainian cities.
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