AdvertisementEast AsiaNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during a meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this picture released on Sep 22, 2025, by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. (Photo: KCNA via Reuters)22 Sep 2025 08:08AM (Updated: 22 Sep 2025 08:27AM) Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInRead a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said there is no reason for the country to avoid dialogue with the United States if Washington stops insisting his country give up nuclear weapons, but he will never trade away the nuclear arsenal to be free of sanctions, state media reported on Monday (Sep 22).In a speech at the Supreme People's Assembly on Sunday, Kim said he still has fond memories of US President Donald Trump, KCNA also reported. The two leaders met three times during Trump's first presidency.The comments come at a time when the new liberal government in Seoul is urging Trump to take the lead in reopening dialogue with Kim, six years after all peace talks with Pyongyang collapsed over a clash on sanctions and nuclear dismantlement.US President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the demilitarised zone (DMZ) on the border of North and South Korea, on Jun 30, 2019. (File photo: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)"If the US drops the absurd obsession with denuclearising us and accepts reality, and wants genuine peaceful coexistence, there is no reason for us not to sit down with the US," Kim was quoted as saying.It was a matter of survival for the country to build nuclear weapons to safeguard its security in the face of grave threats from the US and South Korea, Kim said, listing a series of regular military drills by the allies that he said have evolved into exercises for a nuclear war.Recent overtures from Washington and Seoul for dialogue are disingenuous because their fundamental intent to weaken the North and destroy his regime remains unchanged, Kim said, adding a phased proposal by the South on ending the North's nuclear programmes was proof of that."The world already knows full well what the US does after it makes a country give up its nuclear weapons and disarms," Kim said. "We will never give up our nuclear weapons."Commentary: North Korea will never denuclearise, after Israel strikes on IranNorth Korea says Trump must accept new nuclear reality"NO NEGOTIATIONS FOR ETERNITY""There will never be, and will never ever be for eternity, any negotiations with enemies of exchanging some things out of some obsession with lifting sanctions," Kim said.Sanctions have been "a learning experience" and made his country stronger and more resilient, he said.North Korea has been under a series of United Nations Security Council resolutions imposing economic sanctions and arms embargoes that have squeezed funding for military development but it has continued to make advances in building nuclear weapons and powerful ballistic missiles. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said in an interview with Reuters that those sanctions have ultimately failed to deter the North, which today is adding massive nuclear weapons numbering 15 to 20 to its arsenal every year."The reality is that the previous approach of sanctions and pressure has not solved the problem; it has worsened it," Lee said.Lee has made peace overtures since taking office in June, saying dialogue with Pyongyang was necessary, and has proposed steps to build confidence and eventually end the North's nuclear programme. Lee told Reuters there are formidable obstacles to reopening dialogue with the North but he still believed the phased approach on dismantling Pyongyangs nuclear programme was the realistic option.It was necessary to create the right conditions to bring the North back to the table and Trump has a key role to play in those efforts, Lee said.South Korea's Lee orders partial phased implementation of existing North Korea pactsSource: Reuters/rlNewsletterWeek in ReviewSubscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in ReviewOur chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.NewsletterMorning BriefSubscribe to CNA’s Morning BriefAn automated curation of our top stories to start your day.Sign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...