Trump remains open to talks with N.K. leader Kim ‘without any preconditions’: White House

U.S. President Donald Trump remains open to engaging in dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “without any preconditions,” a White House official said on September 30, amid speculation that Trump could seek to meet Kim when he visits South Korea to attend the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

The official made the remarks in response to Yonhap News Agency’s question about the possibility of Trump resuming dialogue with Kim during his much-anticipated visit to South Korea to join the APEC gathering, and about whether Trump is open to talking with Kim without any reference to the nuclear issue.

It marks the first time that the Trump administration has publicly stated that it does not have “any preconditions” for the resumption of dialogue between Trump and Kim, particularly regarding denuclearization.

Earlier this month, Kim expressed openness to resuming talks with the United States if Washington drops its demand for the North’s denuclearization. However, the Trump administration has reiterated its commitment to pursuing the “complete” denuclearization of North Korea.

“President Trump in his first term held three historic summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that stabilized the Korean Peninsula,” the official said.

The official’s mention of the unchanged U.S. policy appears to refer to Washington’s commitment to the North’s denuclearization. But, the official did not specifically mention the denuclearization goal in the statement.

During the White House summit with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in August, Trump expressed his hope to meet with Kim this year, reinforcing speculation that he could try to resume dialogue with Kim when he visits Korea to participate in the APEC summit set to take place in the southeastern city of Gyeongju from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1.

Trump has repeatedly voiced openness to restarting dialogue with Kim, apparently aiming for a peace deal, amid speculation that he hopes to secure a Nobel Peace Prize. Kim has also signaled his willingness to reengage with Trump, noting that he personally has a “good” memory of the U.S. president.

During his first term, Trump’s personal diplomacy with the North Korean leader led to three in-person meetings between them — in Singapore in June 2018, in Hanoi in February 2019 and at the inter-Korean border truce village of Panmunjom in June 2019.

Although Seoul and Washington have stressed their “resolute” commitment to the North’s denuclearization, Pyongyang has rejected any dialogue on its nuclear program.

Last week, North Korean leader Kim reaffirmed his country’s “invariable” stance on ensuring security through its nuclear forces, highlighting steady preparations for its nuclear counteraction as an “essential top-priority” task, according to the North’s state media.

During a UN General Assembly gathering on September 29, North Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son-gyong said that Pyongyang will never give up its nuclear program “under any circumstances,” emphasizing that it has stipulated its nuclear arsenal in its law as a “sacred” and “absolute” asset that can “never be tampered with.”

The diplomat argued that the imposition of denuclearization on the North is tantamount to demanding Pyongyang surrender its “sovereignty and right to existence” and violate its constitution — a show of its adamant position against bargaining away its nuclear program.

Meanwhile, North Korea has maintained its hostile stance toward South Korea, recently reiterating that it has “no intention” of unification. It has defined inter-Korean ties as such since December 2023.

Kim called South Korea “a semi-paralyzed, deformed colonial subordinate that has been completely Americanized in all sectors,” criticizing its policies, such as Lee’s three-stage denuclearization plan for North Korea.

BY YONHAP, SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]