North Korean Leader Says No Dialogue Unless US Drops Denuclearization Demand

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung told the BBC he would agree to a deal in which North Korea’s nuclear weapons program was frozen, rather than scrapped.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrives for a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2025, KCNA via Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he would talk to the United States only if Washington stops demanding that Pyongyang scrap its nuclear weapons program, state-run news agency KCNA reported on Sept. 21.

During a speech at the Supreme People’s Assembly in Pyongyang, Kim said that if the United States stops demanding denuclearisation, “there is no reason ... not to sit down with the United States.”