Kim Jong Un has declared North Korea could “get along” with the United States but only if Washington accepts that the country’s nuclear weapons are permanent.
Speaking at the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang, Kim called on the US to respect North Korea’s nuclear position as outlined in its constitution. “If Washington withdraws its hostile policy, there is no reason why we cannot get along well with the United States,” he says, according to state media outlet KCNA.
Kim warned that the future of US-North Korea relations “depends entirely on the US attitude.” He added, “Whether it’s peaceful coexistence or permanent confrontation, we are ready for either, and the choice is not ours to make.”
At the same congress, Kim dismissed South Korea as the North’s “most hostile entity,” saying Seoul must leave the North alone to live safely. Analysts suggest his remarks signal an intent to pursue direct relations with the US independently, without going through South Korea.
Kim emphasised Pyongyang’s nuclear programme, declaring, “We will focus on projects to increase the number of nuclear weapons and expand nuclear operational means.” Despite long-standing sanctions, North Korea continues to test banned intercontinental missiles. KCNA states that under Kim’s leadership, North Korea “radically improved” its “war deterrence,” with nuclear forces as its pivot.
Independent experts at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimate North Korea possessed around 50 nuclear warheads and enough fissile material for up to 40 more. Kim previously called for “limitless” nuclear expansion in November 2024.
The comments come as US President Donald Trump released a global security roadmap that notably omits denuclearisation of North Korea raising speculation of renewed talks between Trump and Kim, whose last summit was in 2019. Kim has repeatedly stated that denuclearisation is off the table: “We have become a nuclear state. Denuclearisation is the last, last thing to expect from us.”
Photos from the closing of the party congress showed Kim’s teenage daughter, Ju Ae, standing alongside him in a matching black leather jacket at a military parade. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service recently reported that Kim has selected Ju Ae, believed to be 13, as his heir, and officials are monitoring her role at official events closely.
Kim conclude, “If the United States frees itself from its absurd pursuit of others’ denuclearisation and recognises reality, genuine peaceful coexistence is possible.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
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