Topline
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country is open to dialogue and engagement with the United States if it respects the fact that Pyongyang is a nuclear-armed state, as he also warned that his country is prepared to use the weapons to “completely destroy” South Korea if threatened.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang.
KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
On Thursday, state-controlled media outlet KCNA reported Kim told the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea that the position of his country as a “nuclear weapons state completely and absolutely irreversible.”
Speaking at the once-in-five-years gathering, Kim declared there was no reason North Korea “cannot get on well with the U.S.”
However, the North Korean leader said for this to happen, Washington must first respect the “present position of our state specified in the Constitution”—referring to his country’s status as a nuclear power.
Kim also said the U.S. must “withdraw its hostile policy” towards the country, adding that the prospect of dialogue “depends entirely on the attitude of the U.S. side.”
It is unclear if Kim’s overture means he is prepared to meet with President Donald Trump or other U.S. officials ahead of the president’s visit to neighboring China next month.
Kim’s speech, however, attacked South Korea, labeling it as a “hostile state and eternal enemy,” and threatening it with nuclear annihilation.
What Have U.s. Officials Said?
Speaking to reporters in Saint Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Washington was ready to engage in dialogue with hostile nations. “The United States is always prepared to talk to officials from any government that have information to share with us or viewpoints they want to share with the U.S., and that’s my job to do that…So whether it’s someone in Cuba or potentially one day someone in North Korea or right now in Iran, we are always open to listen,” he said.
Key Background
Last year, while addressing his country’s Supreme People’s Assembly, Kim said: “Personally, I still have fond memories of the current President of the United States, [Donald] Trump.” At the time, the North Korean leader had echoed a similar sentiment, saying: “If the United States abandons its absurd obsession with denuclearizing us, acknowledges reality, and seeks genuine peaceful coexistence, there is no reason for us not to sit down with the United States.” A month later, Trump told reporters he was prepared to meet Kim, saying: “I’m open to it,” before adding that he “had a great relationship” with the North Korean leader.