North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un suggested his country can resume dialogue with the U.S. if Washington drops calls for Pyongyang to denuclearize, state media reported Monday morning local time.
Why it matters: President Trump has said he wants to meet with Kim again this year and his administration has for months been game-planning for potentially restarting dialogue with North Korea, which has made alarming nuclear advances since they last met, per Axios' Barak Ravid and Dave Lawler.
- The two leaders met three times during the first Trump administration and Kim said Sunday that "personally, I still have fond memories of the current President of the United States, Trump," per an auto-translation of a Facebook post by the state-run Rodong Sinmun.
Zoom in: "If the United States shuts down its hollow denuclearization ideology and wants a true peaceful coexistence with us based on acceptance of reality, then we have no reason not to [sit down with] the United States," Kim said during his parliamentary speech, according to the post.
- He vowed that his country would "never" give up its nuclear weapons.
- Representatives for the White House and State Department did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment.
Zoom out: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has sought to restore relations with Pyongyang since being elected in June and has been rebuffed by North Korea.
Go deeper: Trump admin game-planning for potential North Korea talks
