U.S. Official: "Denuclearization of North Korea Is Principle... Trump Has No Plans to Meet Kim Jong Un"

North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un has expressed his willingness to engage in dialogue with the United States, on the condition that denuclearization is abandoned. However, U.S. President Donald Trump appears to have no plans to meet Kim, as he maintains the U.S. stance on North Korea's denuclearization.

According to Reuters on the 23rd (local time), a senior official from the U.S. State Department stated that the complete denuclearization of North Korea remains U.S. policy, and that President Donald Trump currently has no plans to meet with the North Korean leader, Chairman Kim Jong Un.

US President Donald Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un. Photo by Yonhap News

On this day, President Trump made no mention of North Korea or Chairman Kim's proposal during his keynote speech at the United Nations General Assembly. Previously, on the 22nd, the foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States, and Japan, who met in New York during the UN General Assembly, reaffirmed their firm commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea.

On the 21st, during the 13th session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly, Chairman Kim stated, "Personally, I have fond memories of the current U.S. President Trump," and added, "If the United States abandons its unrealistic obsession with denuclearization and, based on a recognition of reality, seeks genuine peaceful coexistence with us, then there is no reason for us not to stand face-to-face with the United States."

Although Chairman Kim has shown a willingness to engage in dialogue, the United States appears to be taking a cautious stance, maintaining its goal of North Korea's denuclearization.

With President Trump scheduled to visit South Korea in October to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Gyeongju, attention is focused on whether a fourth face-to-face summit between the leaders of North Korea and the United States will take place.

During President Trump's first term, the North Korea-U.S. summits were held in Singapore in June 2018 and in Hanoi in February of the following year, with another meeting at Panmunjom in June 2019.