Kim Jong-un Signals Openness to US Talks If Washington Drops 'Denuclearization Obsession'

Kim Jong-un indicated North Korea is open to discussing 'peaceful coexistence' with the United States provided Washington abandons what he called the 'denuclearization obsession' — the insistence on complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization (CVID) as a precondition for substantive talks. Kim reaffirmed that DPRK will 'never, ever' give up its nuclear weapons, framing them as existential regime security guarantors. The statement came as South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo reported that US President Trump had told him he 'could meet Kim as early as this month,' raising speculation about a potential third Trump-Kim summit. Analysts at 38 North and NK News noted Kim's position represents an explicit demand for the US to accept DPRK as a nuclear weapons state — a position Washington has consistently rejected. The signals came amid Trump's May 12–15 state visit to Beijing, where North Korea was discussed on the sidelines.