North Korea says Kim-Trump ties are ‘not bad’ but it’s not giving up its nuclear weapons

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dismissed the U.S.'s intent to resume diplomacy on North Korea’s denuclearization, as she urged Washington to accept her country as a nuclear weapons state and find a new approach to restart talks.

Kim Yo Jong’s statement suggested North Korea would only return to talks if the U.S. rewards it for a partial surrender of its nuclear capability. Some experts say U.S. President Donald Trump could still pursue talks with North Korea to make a diplomatic achievement.

Trump has recently bragged of his personal ties with Kim Jong Un and expressed hopes of restarting nuclear diplomacy between them. Their high-stakes diplomacy in 2018-19 that occurred during Trump’s first term unraveled after Trump rejected Kim’s calls for extensive sanctions relief in return for dismantling his main nuclear complex, a limited denuclearization step. Kim has since executed weapons tests to modernize and expand his nuclear arsenal.

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