North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has declared an end to negotiations with the United States, asserting that past talks only confirmed Washington’s unwavering hostility towards Pyongyang, Bloomberg reports.
Kim’s remarks, delivered at a military exhibition showcasing North Korea’s latest intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the US mainland, were reported by state media on Friday.
Photos released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) showed Kim addressing a crowd, flanked by the new ICBMs. The October test of these missiles achieved a record flight time, just days before the US presidential election.
Kim’s statement directly challenges the possibility of renewed dialogue with the US, especially given speculation that Donald Trump’s election victory might lead to a shift in US policy towards North Korea. Trump repeatedly claimed a “very good” relationship with Kim during his campaign.
During his first term, Trump engaged in unprecedented direct diplomacy with Kim, including multiple summits. This involved scaling back joint US-South Korea military drills and a temporary halt in North Korean missile testing. However, the collapse of the second summit in Hanoi highlighted the deep divisions between the two sides, with Trump unwilling to accept partial concessions and Kim refusing to relinquish his nuclear program.
Since then, under Kim’s leadership, North Korea has accelerated its weapons development and intensified its rhetoric against South Korea. Kim’s latest remarks suggest no interest in restarting direct diplomacy with Trump.
The geopolitical landscape has also changed, with North Korea gaining support from Russia. Kim has become a key ally of Vladimir Putin, and reports suggest North Korea has deployed over 10,000 troops to the Kursk region of Russia to support it in the war in Ukraine.
