North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly has not changed his stance on denuclearization, even as he seeks to find common ground with the U.S. in order to secure a summit with President Trump.
Kim’s stance on denuclearization of the Korean peninsula remains “unchanged, consistent and fixed,” state media quoted him as saying, according to North Korean media reported by Reuters.
Trump last week cancelled a summit with Kim planned for June 12 in Singapore over what he cited as North Korea’s “tremendous anger and open hostility” in recent public statements. The U.S. also said North Korean officials failed to meet their U.S. counterparts for a planning meeting ahead of the summit.
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Since then, both countries have indicated willingness to renegotiate the summit.
However, the two countries still have not reached a consensus on denuclearization. The U.S. wants a complete, “irreversible” and “verifiable” dismantling of North Korea’s nuclear sites. Many experts believe that Kim’s insistence on a “complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula” and security guarantees by the U.S. includes caveats for South Korea and a requirement that the U.S. withdraw its military presence in South Korea.
Denuclearization will go forward on a “state-by-stage basis” for now, Kim said in a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, according to Reuters.