North Korea tests Trump’s will to compromise, dangling a slim path back to talks | NK News
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September 27, 2026Sep 27, 2026

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North Korea tests Trump’s will to compromise, dangling a slim path back to talks

Experts say Kim Yo Jong’s message sets terms for diplomacy but that abandoning denuclearization likely too far for US

After months of expectation, North Korea appeared to open the door to restarting diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, even if only by a sliver.

In a statement on Tuesday, the North Korean leader’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong affirmed Pyongyang’s “irreversible” nuclear status and emphasized that there can be no room for engagement as long as Washington refuses to accept this.

Her words suggest it could be a long road ahead to any detente between the two sides, especially after North Korea cemented its “most hardline anti-U.S. policy” by rejecting a recent letter from Trump