Kim Jong-un Opens To Negotiate As Long As US Cancels Denuclearization Demands

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said there was no reason to avoid negotiations with the United States if Washington stopped urging his country to hand over nuclear weapons, but he would never leave nuclear weapons to end sanctions, state media reported on Monday.

"Personally, I still have fond memories of US President (Donald) Trump," KCNA reported the North Korean leader's statement in a speech at the Supreme People's Assembly on Sunday.

It is known that Leader Kim and President Trump met three times in the first period of Republican politicians' administration.

Leader Kim's comments came as a new South Korean government urged President Trump to lead the reopening of dialogue with Leader Kim, six years after all peace negotiations with Pyongyang failed due to sanctions and nuclear demolition.

"If the United States releases its absurd obsession for our denuclearization and accepts reality, and wants true peaceful coexistence, there is no reason for us not to sit with the United States," said leader Kim.

"This is the first time Leader Kim has mentioned the name of President Trump since the inauguration of the US President in January," said Rachel Minyoung Lee, a North Korean expert from the US-based Stimson Center.

"This is an approach," he said.

"This is Kim's invitation to Trump to rethink US policies on denuclearization, whose implication is that if the US stops denuclearization, he can sit back against Trump," he continued.

Leader Kim's warm words to President Trump are in stark contrast to his crackdown, he will never hand over nuclear weapons or dialogue with South Korea, which he has designated as the main enemy.

Building nuclear weapons in order to keep North Korea safe from the serious threat of the United States and South Korea is a matter of survival, Leader Kim said, citing a series of routine military exercises carried out by his allies that he said had developed into nuclear war games.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said in an interview with Reuters Pyongyang was building 15 to 20 nuclear bombs per year and any deal freezing the production would be a useful move to eventually completely dismantle the program.

"Based on that, we can continue medium-term negotiations for nuclear weapons reduction, and in the long term, once mutual trust is restored and North Korean regime's concerns about security are reduced, we can pursue denuclearization," he said.

Leader Kim has bluntly rejected any gradual plans, saying recent dialogue invitations from Washington and Seoul were dishonest because their fundamental intention to undermine North Korea and destroy its regime remains unchanged, and that President Lee's gradual plans are proof.

"The world knows very well what the United States is doing after forcing a country to hand over its nuclear weapons and strip its weapons," said Leader Kim.

"We will never hand over our nuclear weapons," he said.

Leader Kim said sanctions had become a "learning experience" and made his country stronger and more resilient.

North Korea has been under UN weapons sanctions and embargoes since its first nuclear test in 2006. However, despite the sanctions that have suppressed funding for military development, Pyongyang continues to make progress in building strong nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

"The reality is that the previous approach to sanctions and pressure did not solve the problem; instead it worsened him," President Lee told Reuters.

President Lee has urged President Trump to try to meet Leader Kim when US President visits Ginseng Country next month to attend the Asia-Pacific Summit, but Rachel said Leader Kim's remarks appear aimed at hindering South Korea's involvement.

"Maybe he wants to precede the Lee administration and prevent the Trump administration from cooperating with South Korea by reaffirming that South Korea is a separate country and, therefore, cannot be a party to North Korea's nuclear issue," he said.

South Korean president said Pyongyang refused to have a dialogue with Seoul and was not convinced North Korea-United States was conducting concrete discussions, but he believed the gradual approach remained a realistic choice.

"Our main task now is to create conditions for dialogue," said President Lee.