Kim Jong Un says that if the demand for denuclearization is dropped, he is willing to speak with the US

North Korea would engage in dialogue with the United States if Washington backed off from its demand for denuclearization, but Kim Jong Un promised to retain its arsenal.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has stated that his nation is open to negotiations with the US if Washington drops its demand for denuclearization, but he has maintained that Pyongyang would never give up its nuclear weapons in return for lifting sanctions.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that Kim said, “I still have good memories of U.S. President (Donald) Trump,” during a speech at the Supreme People’s Assembly on Sunday. Trump’s first term as president saw three summits between the two presidents.

Kim said, “There is no reason why we shouldn’t sit down with the United States if they abandon their ridiculous obsession with denuclearizing us, accept reality, and desire true peaceful coexistence.”

Rachel Minyoung Lee, a North Korea analyst at the Stimson Center in Washington, said the comments were the first time Kim had made direct reference to Trump since the US president took office in January. This, she explained, is an overture. With the insinuation that he could meet with Trump in person if the United States abandons denuclearization, Kim is inviting Trump to reconsider American stance on the matter.

Despite showing Trump his friendliness, Kim rejected the prospect of interacting with South Korea, calling Seoul “a main enemy.” He maintained that North Korea’s nuclear program was necessary for survival in the face of “severe threats” from the US and its partner, South Korea, through frequent military exercises that, in his opinion, had essentially become nuclear war preparations.

North Korea is producing 15 to 20 nuclear bombs a year, according to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who stated in a Reuters interview that any agreement to halt such production would be “a useful step” toward eventual dismantlement. On the basis of that, he stated, “we can move forward with medium-term negotiations for the reduction of nuclear weapons, and when mutual trust is restored and North Korea’s regime-security concerns are lessened, we can pursue denuclearization in the long run.”

Kim categorically turned down such ideas. “What the United States does after forcing a nation to disarm and give up its nuclear weapons is already well known across the world. He proclaimed, “We will never surrender our nuclear weapons.” He continued by saying that North Korea had grown stronger and more resilient as a result of sanctions, which had been “a learning experience.”

North Korea has persisted in developing its nuclear and missile capabilities in spite of arms embargoes and UN sanctions put in place since its first nuclear test in 2006. Lee of South Korea contended that pressure and sanctions had “not solved the problem; it has worsened it.”

During Trump’s Asia-Pacific meeting in Seoul next month, the South Korean president urged him to pursue direct negotiations with Kim. But according to Lee of the Stimson Center, Kim’s comments were aimed to marginalize Seoul. “He may be trying to outshine the Lee administration and discourage the Trump administration from working with South Korea by stating that South Korea is an independent nation and cannot be a party to the North Korean nuclear issue,” she added.

While acknowledging Pyongyang’s refusal to negotiate with Seoul and the lack of tangible US-North Korea talks, Lee insisted that his phased strategy was still the most practical course of action. “Now, setting up the framework for communication is our primary goal,” he stated.