Kim expresses interest in Trump meeting, rejects denuclearization

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he sees “no reason why we cannot face the United States” and added that he personally has “good memories” of U.S. President Donald Trump. The remarks came as Trump confirmed he would attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju on Oct. 31, marking the first public sign of Kim’s willingness to engage directly with the U.S. president.

According to North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency on Sept. 22, Kim made the remarks during a Sept. 21 speech to the Supreme People’s Assembly at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang. He said, “If the United States abandons its absurd obsession with denuclearization and seeks genuine peaceful coexistence with us based on accepting reality, there is no reason we cannot face the United States.” In other words, he suggested a meeting with Trump could happen if the U.S. gives up its denuclearization demands. This is the first time Kim has mentioned Trump in a public message since the start of the second Trump administration.

On Sept. 19, Trump spoke by phone with Chinese President Xi Jinping and later posted on Truth Social that he would meet Xi during the Gyeongju APEC summit.

Kim also criticized South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s proposed “three-step denuclearization” roadmap and reiterated that North Korea would not negotiate denuclearization. “Let me make it clear. There can absolutely, absolutely be no denuclearization for us,” Kim said. “We will have no occasion to sit down with South Korea, nor will we do anything together. We will not engage in any dealings.”

President Lee, in a BBC interview released on Sept. 22, said he could accept an agreement between Trump and Kim in which North Korea freezes nuclear weapons production instead of dismantling them entirely. Lee indicated that, regarding his proposed three-step roadmap of “freeze, reduction, dismantlement,” he would accept a nuclear freeze if North Korea and the U.S. reached an accord. He described such a freeze as a “temporary emergency measure” and a “practical and feasible alternative,” emphasizing that “it is important to set realistic goals and achieve at least some progress rather than insisting solely on the ultimate objective.”

The People Power Party criticized President Lee, expressing concern that he might be effectively giving up on North Korean denuclearization. “North Korea has no intention of abandoning its nuclear arsenal and no willingness to engage in dialogue with us," Party spokesperson Park Seong-hoon said. "Yet the Lee Jae-myung administration continues to beg for peace and repeatedly offers an empty ‘three-step denuclearization solution.’”


Oh-Hyuk Kwon hyuk@donga.com