Across the long arc of nuclear diplomacy, President Trump has once again signaled his desire to sit across from Kim Jong-un — a man he first mocked and then befriended, a man who rules one of the world's most isolated and heavily armed nations. The gesture carries the weight of three prior summits, a historic step across the DMZ, and the unresolved question of whether personal rapport can accomplish what decades of pressure and sanctions have not. As North Korea refines its weapons, deepens its ties with Russia, and moves to constitutionally enshrine its hostility toward the South, the world w
Trump Expresses Interest in Resuming Talks with North Korea's Kim Jong-un
I felt safe because I have a great relationship with Kim Jong-un.
Mark
So Trump is saying he wants to meet with Kim again. How serious is this?
Mimi
He's been consistent about it since April, and now he's saying it publicly at the White House with the South Korean president present. That suggests it's not just casual talk.
Luke
But what does "wants to meet" actually mean? Is there a channel? Has anyone from his team reached out to Pyongyang?
Mimi
The reporting doesn't say. Trump is expressing interest, but there's no indication yet that formal talks are being arranged.
Mark
What changed since the Hanoi summit fell apart in 2019?
Mimi
Structurally, not much. North Korea still wants sanctions lifted before denuclearization. Trump still wants denuclearization. That gap hasn't closed.
Luke
And North Korea just said last week they have no interest in improving relations. Kim Yo-jong was pretty explicit about that.
Mimi
Right. So there's Trump saying he wants to meet, and simultaneously North Korea saying they don't want to talk. Those two things are in tension.
Mark
What's South Korea's role in this?
Mimi
Lee Jae-myung wants dialogue too, and he's made some gestures—stopping loudspeaker broadcasts. But North Korea hasn't really reciprocated, and now they're talking about rewriting their constitution to call South Korea permanently hostile.
Luke
So the diplomatic opening Trump is imagining may not exist on the other side.
Mark
What about the nuclear weapons themselves? Has North Korea stopped building them?
Mimi
They haven't tested since 2017, which was before Trump's first term. But they've been refining their delivery systems the whole time, and analysts think Russia might be helping them with missile technology.
Luke
So the core problem—North Korea's nuclear arsenal—is still growing, just not through tests we can see.
Mimi
Exactly. The weapons are getting better even if we're not seeing explosions.
Le Pouls
- Trump publicly declared his wish to meet Kim Jong-un again, invoking their unusual personal bond as the foundation for renewed diplomacy — even as Kim's regime moves to formally designate South Korea a permanently hostile state.
- North Korea is actively expanding its nuclear and missile capabilities, with analysts warning that Russian technological assistance may be accelerating a program that has never truly paused.
- The last serious attempt at a breakthrough collapsed in Hanoi in 2019, when Kim demanded the complete lifting of sanctions before any denuclearization talks — a demand Trump refused, walking away from the table.
- South Korea's new president Lee Jae-myung has extended conciliatory gestures, including halting DMZ loudspeaker broadcasts, but Kim's sister flatly declared Pyongyang has 'no will to improve relations,' casting doubt on any near-term thaw.
- Trump's overture lands in a landscape far more complicated than his first term — North Korea is now entangled with Russia's war in Ukraine, supplying troops and munitions while potentially receiving missile technology in return.
Across the long arc of nuclear diplomacy, President Trump has once again signaled his desire to sit across from Kim Jong-un — a man he first mocked and then befriended, a man who rules one of the world's most isolated and heavily armed nations. The gesture carries the weight of three prior summits, a historic step across the DMZ, and the unresolved question of whether personal rapport can accomplish what decades of pressure and sanctions have not. As North Korea refines its weapons, deepens its ties with Russia, and moves to constitutionally enshrine its hostility toward the South, the world watches to see whether diplomacy's door remains open — or whether it was ever truly ajar.
President Trump said Monday that he wants to meet again with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his second term, making the remarks after hosting South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at the White House. Trump defended the personal rapport he cultivated with Kim, acknowledging that his open affection for the North Korean leader draws criticism. "I'm not supposed to say I really like him a lot," he told reporters, "because if I do that, I get killed in the fake news media."
Trump recalled his three summits with Kim — Singapore in 2018, Hanoi in 2019, and the June 2019 meeting at the DMZ where he became the first sitting U.S. president to step onto North Korean soil. He described the moment with characteristic vividness, noting the extraordinary number of armed soldiers on both sides and yet feeling secure because of his relationship with Kim. The two men's connection had begun improbably: Trump once mocked Kim as "Little Rocket Man," then sent him an Elton John album containing that very song as a gag gift, and eventually developed a warm written correspondence.
That momentum broke apart in Hanoi, when Kim demanded all sanctions be lifted before denuclearization could even be discussed. Trump walked away. The two parted on cordial terms, and Kim pledged no further nuclear tests — a commitment North Korea has technically honored, though analysts note the country's test site sustained significant damage around that time.
The landscape today is considerably more fraught. Kim recently called for expanding North Korea's nuclear arsenal, condemning joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises as provocations. Security analysts warn that Russia may be supplying missile technology to Pyongyang in exchange for North Korean troops and munitions supporting the war in Ukraine. North Korea is also developing a new destroyer class potentially capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
South Korea's President Lee has attempted to lower the temperature, halting loudspeaker broadcasts along the DMZ — a gesture North Korea appeared briefly to reciprocate before Kim's sister denied any such action and dismissed South Korean accounts as fabrication. She also signaled that North Korea's constitution would soon formally designate South Korea a permanently hostile state, and stated plainly that Pyongyang has no interest in improving relations. Against that backdrop, Trump's desire for a fourth summit remains an aspiration without a clear path forward.
President Trump said Monday he wants to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un again during his second term. The statement came after Trump met with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at the White House, and it marks the latest in a series of signals from Trump that he intends to revive direct engagement with Pyongyang.
Trump told reporters he maintains "very good relationships" with Kim and his regime, and he defended the personal rapport he built during his first term. "I got along with him very well," Trump said, acknowledging that critics view such friendliness toward a nuclear-armed dictator as problematic. "I'm not supposed to say I really like him a lot because if I do that, I get killed in the fake news media." Trump recalled his three summits with Kim: Singapore in June 2018, Hanoi in February 2019, and the June 2019 meeting at the demarcation line between North and South Korea, where Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to cross into North Korean territory. "Remember when I walked across the line and everyone went crazy?" he said. Trump joked that he knows Kim better than almost anyone except Kim's sister, and he recounted the 2019 DMZ meeting with particular vividness: "I saw more guns in that room than I've ever seen in my life. I looked at the other side and it was the same thing, and yet I felt safe. I felt safe because I have a great relationship with Kim Jong-un."
The relationship between Trump and Kim has followed an unusual arc. It began with Trump mocking the North Korean leader as "Little Rocket Man" over his ballistic missile tests. By 2018, Trump was sending Kim a copy of an Elton John album containing that very song as a gag gift. The two men developed a cordial written correspondence in which Kim expressed interest in deeper diplomatic engagement. Trump's supporters argued that this personal connection could unlock progress on denuclearization, while critics warned that Trump was legitimizing a brutal regime.
Early momentum stalled at the Hanoi summit in February 2019, when Kim insisted that all sanctions against North Korea be lifted before any discussion of denuclearization could begin. Trump walked away from the talks. "Sometimes you have to walk and this was just one of those times," he told reporters as he left. The two men shook hands and parted on good terms, and Kim pledged not to conduct further nuclear tests. North Korea's last nuclear detonation occurred in September 2017, and the country has honored that commitment, though analysts note that damage to the test site may have been a factor as well.
During Joe Biden's presidency, North Korea entered periods of belligerence, continued refining its weapons systems, and came close to conducting another test on several occasions but ultimately did not. Last week, Kim called for expanding North Korea's nuclear arsenal, citing what he characterized as increased threats from South Korea and the United States. He condemned the annual joint military exercise between Washington and Seoul as "an obvious expression of their will to provoke war."
North Korea's weapons development has not stopped. The country is working to improve its missile delivery systems, and security analysts worry that Russia may be providing technological assistance in exchange for North Korean munitions and troops supporting the Russian war in Ukraine. North Korea is also developing a new class of destroyer potentially capable of carrying nuclear missiles.
Trump first signaled his interest in resuming talks with Kim in April, when he described the North Korean leader as a "very smart guy" and said he would like to do "something at some point" with him during his second term. South Korean President Lee, who took office in June, has also expressed hope for renewed dialogue after a period of tension under his predecessor. Lee has made conciliatory moves, including ordering a halt to loudspeaker broadcasts along the DMZ. North Korea initially appeared to reciprocate by taking down some of its own loudspeakers, but Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean leader's sister, claimed in mid-August that no such action had occurred. She dismissed South Korean reports as "unfounded unilateral supposition and a red herring" and signaled that North Korea's constitution would soon be amended to formally designate South Korea as a permanently "hostile state." She also stated flatly: "We have clarified on several occasions that we have no will to improve relations."
Citations marquantes
I got along with him very well. I'm not supposed to say I really like him a lot because if I do that, I get killed in the fake news media.— President Trump
We have clarified on several occasions that we have no will to improve relations.— Kim Yo-jong, North Korean leader's sister
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