N. Korea's Kim Open To US Talks If Denuclearization Demands Dropped

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) TOKYO, Sept 22 (KUNA) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said his country is open to talks with the US if Washington drops its demand for denuclearization, state-run media reported Monday.
Kim relayed this in his speech at a session of the Supreme People's Assembly in Pyongyang on Sunday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
"I still personally have good memories of US President (Donald) Trump," Kim was quoted as saying. This was Kim's first direct reference to his ties with Trump since the beginning of the US leader's second term in January.
At the same time, however, Kim emphasized Pyongyang will never give up its nuclear arsenal, saying it will not exchange its nuclear weapons for sanctions relief.
On inter-Korean ties, Kim ruled out dialogue with Seoul and reiterated that unification was "unnecessary," in line with his earlier calls to define South Korea as the "principal enemy" in the constitution.
"From the standpoint of national interests, we have no intention of reunifying with a country that has entrusted politics and defense to foreign powers," the North Korean leader said.
During his meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung late August, Trump expressed his hope to meet Kim as early as this year. Kim and Trump held summit talks in Singapore in 2018, as well as in Hanoi and at the truce village of Panmunjeom in 2019. (end)
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