North Korea’s deputy foreign minister, Pak Myong Ho, has dismissed the idea of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula as a ‘pipe-dream’ that cannot be realized. The statement came in response to repeated denials by South Korea of North Korea’s nuclear status. Pak Myong Ho said that Pyongyang would show ‘patience’ to demonstrate that denuclearization is an impossible goal, even if Seoul talks about it repeatedly. This comes after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who has been seeking to find a solution to the nuclear issue, urged China to play a ‘constructive role’ in establishing peace and finding a ‘substantive solution’ to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.
During the APEC summit, Lee met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where he requested a ‘constructive Chinese role’ to help realize the resumption of talks with North Korea. Lee also expressed support for renewed dialogue between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Trump, who has been critical of the North Korean regime’s nuclear program, said earlier this week that he would ‘love to see’ Kim and indicated that he might leverage US sanctions if talks resume. While a Trump-Kim meeting did not take place during the US president’s Asia tour this week, Kim said he is open to the idea and still has a ‘good memory’ of Trump, though he has described US demands that North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons as ‘absurd.’
Pyongyang has insisted that its nuclear armed forces will ‘exist forever’ as a means of defending its ‘sovereignty, territorial integrity and fundamental interests.’ It has also accused the US of provoking instability and attempting to create an ‘Asian version of NATO’ through its military cooperation with Japan and South Korea. The situation remains tense with no clear resolution in sight, and both North Korea and South Korea continue to have conflicting viewpoints on the issue of denuclearization.