Kim Jong-un open to talks with US if it 'withdraws its hostile policy'
“There is no reason why we cannot get on well with the U.S.,” North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said that he is open to talks with the U.S. if it "withdraws its hostile policy."
“There is no reason why we cannot get on well with the U.S.,” Kim said Wednesday in an address at the 9th Workers Party Congress, according to state media, the Washington Times reported. The congress sets the nation’s five-year policy goals and reelected Kim as chairman this week.
He added that talks could restart only if the U.S. respects “the present position of our state specified in the Constitution … and withdraws its hostile policy.”
In 2023, North Korea enshrined the possession of nuclear arms in an amendment to its constitution.
Kim's statement comes ahead of President Trump's visit to China next month.
Trump met with Kim during his first presidential term, in Singapore in 2018 and in Hanoi in 2019.
The president walked out of the second summit after Kim, who was seeking a phased process, rejected Trump’s demands that North Korea put all its nuclear facilities on the negotiating table.
Trump has since expressed openness to renewed talks.