On Sunday, September 21, 2025, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivered a speech to the Supreme People’s Assembly in Pyongyang that has sent ripples across the region and beyond. According to coverage by the Associated Press and ABC, Kim’s remarks were a rare mix of nostalgia, defiance, and diplomatic maneuvering—recalling his “good personal memories” of former U.S. President Donald Trump, while simultaneously urging Washington to abandon its longstanding demand that North Korea surrender its nuclear arsenal as a precondition for renewed talks.
"We will never lay down our nuclear weapons … There will be no negotiations, now or ever, about trading anything with hostile countries in exchange for lifting sanctions," Kim declared, as reported by the Associated Press. He was unequivocal: North Korea’s nuclear program, in his view, remains the ultimate shield for his regime’s survival and the continuation of his family’s dynastic rule.
Kim’s speech, published by North Korean state media and relayed by international wire services, marked another chapter in the long and often turbulent saga of U.S.-North Korea relations. Despite the fond recollections of his summits with Trump, Kim was adamant that a return to the negotiating table would only be possible if the United States “abandons its delusional obsession with denuclearization.” He added, “There is no reason not to resume talks with the United States if Washington abandons its delusional obsession with denuclearization.”
For many observers, these comments were both a throwback and a warning. Kim’s relationship with Trump was, at times, surprisingly cordial, leading to three high-profile meetings between 2018 and 2019. Yet, the collapse of their second summit in Hanoi over disagreements about U.S.-led sanctions left a bitter aftertaste. Since then, as ABC and AP noted, Kim has suspended virtually all cooperation with South Korea, a key U.S. ally that played a pivotal role in brokering those earlier summits.
"The world already knows well what the United States does after forcing other countries to give up their nuclear weapons and disarm," Kim remarked, a pointed reference to the fate of other regimes that relinquished their arsenals. This statement, reported by AP, underscores the deep mistrust that persists between Pyongyang and Washington.
Kim’s address comes at a time of heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula. Over the past several years, he has dramatically accelerated North Korea’s weapons development, conducting tests of missiles with ranges capable of striking both U.S. allies in Asia and even the American mainland. Analysts cited by AP and ABC believe this show of force is more than mere posturing; it’s a calculated effort to pressure the United States into accepting North Korea as a de facto nuclear power and to secure economic or security concessions from a position of strength.
The North Korean leader’s diplomatic overtures have not stopped at Washington. In recent months, Kim has visibly strengthened ties with Russia and China—two traditional allies who share an interest in counterbalancing U.S. influence in the region. According to AP, Kim has sent thousands of troops and large quantities of military equipment to Russia in support of President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Earlier in September, Kim visited Beijing, where he appeared alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin at a massive military parade—an unmistakable signal of solidarity.
Experts suggest that Kim’s rare foreign trip was designed to boost his leverage ahead of any possible resumption of talks with the United States. It’s a chess move, not a checkmate, but one that complicates the diplomatic landscape for Washington and Seoul.
Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has embarked on his own diplomatic mission, departing for New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly. There, he is expected to address the nuclear tensions on the Korean Peninsula and urge North Korea to return to the negotiating table. But with Kim’s recent declaration that he has no intention of ever resuming dialogue with South Korea, the prospects for inter-Korean rapprochement look bleak. As AP reported, Kim has gone so far as to order a rewrite of North Korea’s constitution to cement South Korea as a “permanent enemy”—a dramatic shift from the North’s previous, if often rhetorical, commitment to peaceful unification.
Amid these developments, speculation is swirling about a potential Trump-Kim reunion. Trump is expected to visit South Korea next month for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Some media outlets have suggested that the former president may attempt to meet Kim at the inter-Korean border, echoing their impromptu encounter in 2019. While such a meeting remains uncertain, the mere possibility has reignited debate about the future of U.S.-North Korea diplomacy.
For the South Korean government, there’s growing anxiety about being sidelined in future negotiations. As North Korea seeks to deal directly with Washington, Seoul fears losing its voice in efforts to defuse the nuclear standoff. These concerns were amplified last year when Kim formally abandoned the North’s long-held goal of peaceful unification and ordered constitutional changes to enshrine South Korea’s status as a permanent adversary.
Kim’s intransigence on the nuclear issue is nothing new, but his rhetoric has grown sharper as he’s sought to leverage geopolitical shifts to his advantage. The war in Ukraine, China’s growing assertiveness, and the uncertainty of U.S. policy ahead of the 2024 presidential election all play into Pyongyang’s calculations. By aligning more closely with Moscow and Beijing, Kim is betting that he can extract greater concessions from Washington—or at least insulate his regime from the full impact of international sanctions.
At the same time, the memory of the Trump-Kim summits lingers. While critics derided those meetings as photo opportunities that failed to yield substantive results, Kim’s public reminiscence about Trump suggests that personal diplomacy still holds a certain allure for the North Korean leader. Whether this nostalgia can translate into real progress, however, remains to be seen.
As the world watches for the next move in this high-stakes game, one thing is clear: the status quo on the Korean Peninsula is anything but stable. With nuclear weapons at the center of the standoff and major powers jockeying for influence, the path forward is fraught with risk—and possibility.
Kim Jong Un’s message is unmistakable: North Korea will not be bullied or cajoled into giving up its nuclear weapons. For now, the ball is in Washington’s court, but the outcome of this diplomatic drama is far from certain.