February 27, 2026 | 04:37 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - US President Donald Trump remains open to the possibility of talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "without any preconditions," as stated by a White House official on Thursday in response to Kim's recent remarks on bilateral relations.
The official told Kyodo News, as reported by Antara, that the Trump administration's stance on North Korea remains unchanged. This comes after the country's state media reported that Kim hinted during the ruling party congress that he could improve relations with the US if Washington abandoned its hostile policy towards Pyongyang.
The official noted that Trump had held three historic summits with Kim which stabilized the Korean Peninsula.
The week-long Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, held for the first time since 2021, concluded on Wednesday. The official state media reported the following day that during the event, Kim stated that the US has not changed its initial hostile view towards Pyongyang.
However, Kim was also quoted as saying that "there is no reason why we cannot get on well" if the US changes its stance. He added that the future of bilateral relations entirely depends on the US.
North Korea has long sought to be recognized as a nuclear weapons power and has urged the US and its allies to lift economic sanctions.
In 2018, Trump became the first sitting US president to meet with a North Korean leader when he shook hands with Kim in Singapore. At that time, they agreed to work towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Trump held two more rounds of talks with Kim the following year. However, both sides ultimately left without reaching an agreement, while North Korea continued to develop its missile and nuclear arsenal.
Trump stated that he had a good relationship with Kim and hoped to rekindle diplomacy with North Korea. However, in recent months, Trump has hardly mentioned North Korea.
On Tuesday, Trump also did not mention North Korea when delivering his first State of the Union address since returning to the White House over a year ago.
Read: North Korea: US Relations Depend on Washington's Attitude
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