North Korea’s leader says open to US talks if denuclearization demands dropped

September 22, 2025 - 14:36

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has urged the US to drop its demand the North surrender its nukes as a precondition for resuming long-stalled diplomacy, AP reported.

Speaking to the country’s parliament on Sunday, Kim stressed that he has no intention of ever resuming dialogue with rival South Korea, a key U.S. ally that helped broker Kim’s previous summits with Donald Trump during the American president’s first term, according to a speech published by state media on Monday.

Kim suspended virtually all cooperation with the South following the collapse of his second summit with Trump in 2019 over disagreements about U.S.-led sanctions against the North. Trump is expected to visit South Korea next month to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, prompting media speculation that he may try 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.