Seoul, 22 September 2025 (dpa/MIA) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has signalled he is, in principle, willing to hold talks with the US government if Washington stops seeking Pyongyang's nuclear disarmament, state media reported Monday.

"If the United States drops the absurd obsession with denuclearizing us ... and wants genuine peaceful coexistence, there is no reason for us not to sit down with the United States," Kim said Sunday in a parliamentary speech.

In his speech, Kim said that he had "fond memories" of US President Donald Trump, the state-controlled KCNA news agency reported.

The North Korean leader stressed his country would never give up its nuclear weapons and would not be pressured by sanctions. "The world already knows well what the United States does after it forces a country to give up its nuclear weapons and disarm," he said.

During his first term in office, Trump pursued an unconventional policy on North Korea and met Kim several times, aiming to secure Pyongyang's nuclear disarmament.

In August, Trump touted his "very good" relationship with Kim, expressing interest in another meeting with him.

So far, the US government is sticking to its goal of a complete nuclear disarmament of North Korea.

Pyongyang is continuing to conduct regular missile tests and advance its nuclear program, a commitment that Kim Jong Un has maintained despite ongoing international sanctions against the country.