North Korea’s nuclear ambitions—and the world’s response—are once again at the center of global attention, as an unexpected flurry of diplomatic signals emanates from Pyongyang, Seoul, and Washington. On September 21, 2025, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared his willingness to engage in talks with the United States, but only if Washington abandons its insistence on denuclearization. In a speech at the Supreme People’s Assembly, Kim stated, “If the United States drops the absurd obsession with denuclearising us and accepts reality, and wants genuine peaceful coexistence, there is no reason for us not to sit down with the United States,” according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
This statement marks a significant, if conditional, opening from a leader who has steadfastly resisted international pressure for nearly two decades. Kim’s comments come at a time when the diplomatic chessboard around the Korean Peninsula is shifting, with new faces, old grievances, and the ever-present threat of nuclear escalation in play.
Kim’s overture was accompanied by a surprising dose of nostalgia for former U.S. President Donald Trump. “Personally, I still have fond memories of US President Trump,” Kim remarked, referencing the three meetings the two leaders shared during Trump’s first term. The sentiment was echoed in Washington last month, when both Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung expressed their own openness to renewed dialogue with Kim. “Someday, I’ll see him. I look forward to seeing him. He was very good with me,” Trump told reporters, suggesting a rapport with Kim that few other world leaders can claim.
South Korean President Lee, who assumed office in June 2025 after the impeachment of his predecessor, has also made a point of supporting renewed engagement. At the White House meeting in August, Lee even quipped that he hoped Trump would “build a Trump Tower” in North Korea so he could “play golf there.” But beyond the lighthearted banter, Lee’s approach signals a notable shift in Seoul’s posture toward Pyongyang—one that prioritizes pragmatism over idealism.
In interviews with both the BBC and Reuters, Lee outlined a “realistic” approach to the North Korean nuclear issue. Rather than demanding the immediate and total dismantlement of Pyongyang’s arsenal—a goal that has eluded diplomats for decades—Lee suggested an interim deal to freeze North Korea’s production of nuclear weapons. “So long as we do not give up on the long-term goal of denuclearisation, I believe there are clear benefits to having North Korea stop its nuclear and missile development,” Lee told the BBC. He described a freeze as “a feasible, realistic alternative” to denuclearisation for now, especially given that North Korea is currently producing an estimated 15 to 20 additional nuclear weapons each year.
Lee’s willingness to accept a freeze is not without precedent, but it does mark a break from the hardline stance of his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, who attempted to impose martial law amid escalating tensions last year. Yoon’s approach, Lee argues, only worsened relations with the North and failed to halt its nuclear progress. “The reality is that the previous approach of sanctions and pressure has not solved the problem; it has worsened it,” Lee said in his Reuters interview. He has since halted government radio broadcasts into North Korea—previously a source of irritation for Kim’s regime—despite criticism from human rights organizations. “We judge that [these broadcasts] have almost no practical effect,” Lee explained. “What matters is restoring trust between the North and South, especially since the last government’s stance toward North Korea was so hostile. We think these measures will help get North Korea to return to talks.”
Yet, Pyongyang’s response to Lee’s overtures has been dismissive so far, with state media branding him “delusional” and a “daydreamer.” Still, Lee remains undeterred, positioning himself as a centrist leader seeking to repair trust and reduce tensions on the peninsula. He insists that while the ultimate goal remains denuclearisation, a step-by-step approach is necessary given the current realities. “The question is whether we persist with fruitless attempts towards the ultimate goal [of denuclearisation] or we set more realistic goals and achieve some of them,” he told the BBC.
The broader geopolitical context only complicates matters. Earlier this month, Kim Jong Un joined Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing for a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The event, as reported by BBC and KCNA, showcased the growing ties between Beijing, Moscow, and Pyongyang—a development that Lee described as “clearly not desirable for us.” He acknowledged the “very difficult situation” South Korea faces, caught between its military ally the U.S. and its economic partner China. “The world is dividing into two camps, and South Korea is positioned right on the border,” Lee said, noting his country’s “truly precarious location” next to China and Russia. “This situation is become increasingly difficult. But these camps cannot completely shut their doors, so we can position ourselves somewhere in the middle.”
Lee’s diplomatic balancing act extends to Russia as well. While he condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he stressed the importance of pragmatic cooperation wherever possible. “It is clear that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine should be condemned, and that the war must end as soon as possible,” he told the BBC. “But relations between countries are not straightforward, and we find ways to co-operate wherever possible and strive to co-exist peacefully.”
Domestically, Lee faces his own set of challenges. The recent detention of hundreds of Korean workers in the U.S.—who were helping build a car battery factory in Georgia—sparked outrage in Seoul. Lee described the incident as “shocking” and said, “As president, I feel a profound sense of responsibility for the harsh treatment our citizens endured.” He hopes to use the episode to strengthen Seoul’s relationship with Washington, invoking a Korean proverb: “After the rain, the ground hardens.”
Meanwhile, Kim Jong Un remains defiant in the face of international pressure. Addressing the Supreme People’s Assembly, he claimed that sanctions have only made North Korea “stronger and more resilient,” despite persistent reports of food shortages. “There will never be, and will never ever be for eternity, any negotiations with enemies of exchanging some things out of some obsession with lifting sanctions,” Kim declared. North Korea, which declared itself a nuclear power in 2022, has vowed never to relinquish its arsenal. Last year, Kim promised to “exponentially” boost the nation’s nuclear stockpile to defend against “hostile” forces.
The stakes are high. The United Nations imposed sanctions on North Korea nearly twenty years ago for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) warned in its 2025 Yearbook that the world is at risk of a new arms race among the nine nuclear-armed states, including North Korea. With Pyongyang reportedly adding 15 to 20 nuclear weapons each year, the urgency for a diplomatic breakthrough is palpable.
As Kim, Lee, and Trump circle around the possibility of renewed talks, the world watches—hoping that this time, pragmatism and patience might yield more than just headlines. The Korean Peninsula remains a place where history is written in fits and starts, and where the smallest gestures can have outsized consequences for global peace and security.