North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has indicated a willingness to talk to the United States if Washington drops its denuclearisation demands, but his regime continues to flatly reject any dialogue with South Korea.
This stance was reiterated on Saturday when Pyongyang called South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s denuclearisation agenda an “unrealisable pipe dream.” The statement affirmed that the North will “never talk to the South,” which it has designated its “main enemy.”
The rejection came as President Lee was meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, asking for Beijing’s help to restart dialogue. Lee is pushing a “phased approach,” starting with a freeze on nuclear development.
U.S. President Donald Trump offered talks to Kim during his visit to South Korea earlier in the week, but he did not receive a public response. At the Lee-Xi summit, both leaders agreed that U.S.-North Korea dialogue was the “most important” path forward.
President Xi’s visit to Seoul, his first in 11 years, focused on strengthening economic ties, resulting in seven new agreements. Chinese state media reports on the summit focused on this cooperation and notably omitted any mention of the North Korea discussions.
Kim Jong Un Willing to Talk to US, But Not South Korea
