InterviewDenuclearization can no longer be on agenda for US-NK talks: foreign policy expertAs signs emerge that the United States and North Korea may be inching toward renewed engagement, the question of where denuclearization fits into future talks is coming back into focus. U.S. President Donald Trump’s reluctance to say whether denuclearization remains the goal of renewed talks with North Korea could open the door to a different approach focused first on arms control and reductions, a veteran foreign policy expert said. “Denuclearization can no longer be on the agenda,” Moon Chung-in, a James Laney distinguished professor at Yonsei University, told The Korea Times in a written interview. “The DPRK will reject any call for dialogues and negotiations for denuclearization,” he added, referring to North Korea's formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Moon said conventional and nuclear arms control and reductions would therefore be most likely to be on the agenda for renewed talks. His remarks came as Trump sidestepped the question of denuclearization while intensifying his push to revive diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Asked on WednesdAug 20, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
N. Korea typically estimated to have 80-120 nuclear weapons: defense ministerNorth Korea is estimated to have around 80 to 120 nuclear weapons, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Thursday, offering a figure higher than U.S. President Donald Trump's recent claim of 57. Ahn made the remarks during a parliamentary session after Trump gave the number while speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday (U.S. time), saying he would meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this year. Trump said that Pyongyang possesses 57 "very powerful" nuclear weapons, marking the first time he has cited a specific figure regarding the North's nuclear arsenal. "We typically see that (North Korea has) around 80 to 120 (nuclear weapons), but I am very limited in providing a specific figure," Ahn told lawmakers. Given Trump's remarks, the estimates held by South Korea and the United States regarding the North's nuclear stockpile "appear to be slightly different," Ahn noted. It was considered rare for a South Korean, as well as U.S., government official to reveal a specific number for Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal, not only because such information is highly classified, but alAug 20, 2026By Yonhap
NK leader's sister says Pyongyang focused on S. Korea-US drills continuing, not reduced scaleThe powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Wednesday that Pyongyang is more focused on the fact that South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises are continuing than on the recent decision to reduce the scale, Pyongyang's state media reported. Kim Yo-jong made the remarks as South Korea and the United States are scaling down their annual combined exercise at Washington's request after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the drills to be reduced. "We are paying greater attention to the reality that joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea have continued and are still ongoing, and this is an unmistakable expression of hostility toward North Korea," Kim said in an announcement carried by the Korean Central News Agency. "Reducing the scale or duration of the drills does not change the provocative and aggressive nature of the military exercises," she added, stressing that Pyongyang has "no interest whatsoever" in Trump's move. The allies will conclude the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise Friday, cutting its initially planned 11-day duration nearly in half, acAug 19, 2026By Yonhap
Ball in N. Korea's court after Trump's summit overture, experts sayU.S. President Donald Trump has signaled a desire to reengage with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, raising the possibility of a meeting during his expected visit to China in November. But analysts say any such overture may go unanswered as Pyongyang currently sees little reason to return to negotiations. North Korea, bolstered by support from Russia and China, has far less need for sanctions relief than it did during the previous summits between Trump and Kim in 2018 and 2019, experts said. Kim may also demand recognition of North Korea as a nuclear-armed state, a condition unacceptable to Washington, and could question whether meeting Trump would serve his interests if the Republican Party loses the U.S. midterm elections. “North Korea is unlikely to accept Trump’s approach, given its strengthened ties with Russia and the support it receives in return for joining Moscow’s war against Ukraine,” Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies, said Wednesday. Shin Beom-chul, a senior research fellow at the Sejong Institute, agreed that Pyongyang is underAug 19, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Unification minister says scaled-back drills could open door for dialogueUnification Minister Chung Dong-young said Wednesday he hoped scaled-back military drills between South Korea and the United States could open the door for dialogue between North Korea and Washington. He made the remarks during a parliamentary committee meeting, as Seoul and Washington announced cutting short their annual summertime military exercise to Friday, concluding the 11-day drills a week earlier than scheduled. Chung said he supported U.S. President Donald Trump's order to scale back the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, adding what Trump described as making things safer is "exactly the core" of the exercise reduction. "The shared goal of the alliance is peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," Chung told a meeting of the parliamentary committee on foreign and unification affairs. In a Truth Social post on Sunday (U.S. time), Trump ordered the U.S. military to reduce the combined exercise, arguing that the drills send a "totally inappropriate and hostile" signal to North Korea. When asked to respond to the view that he was prioritizing the interests of North Korea over America'Aug 19, 2026By Yonhap
Seoul to push for resumption of inter-Korean rail project next year: unification ministryThe unification ministry on Wednesday said it plans to push for the resumption of a cross-border rail project with North Korea next year while mapping out long-term multinational projects it has proposed as part of efforts to achieve peaceful coexistence with Pyongyang. The announcement was made during a briefing to the National Assembly Committee on Foreign Affairs and Unification. The ministry said it would begin preparatory work on what it called the "four peaceful exchange projects," aimed at encouraging cross-border exchange. The four proposed projects are a health cooperation project, the Wonsan-Kalma peace tourism project, a Seoul-Beijing high-speed railway and the Greater Tumen Initiative (GTI). Among them, the ministry plans to revitalize the GTI, which is a regional economic cooperation framework involving South Korea, China, Mongolia and Russia with a focus on transport, energy and tourism. It also plans to encourage Pyongyang to join the initiative. As part of efforts to lay the groundwork for inter-Korean exchange, the ministry said it will restart construction on the SouthAug 19, 2026By Yonhap
Trump pushes for Kim Jong-un meeting this year, WSJ reportsU.S. President Donald Trump is pushing aides for a meeting as soon as this fall with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing U.S. officials. Trump has privately discussed setting up an in-person discussion with Kim during Trump's next trip to Asia, which could happen in November for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Shenzhen, China, the Journal reported. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.Aug 19, 2026By Reuters
NK warns of 'self-defense' measures despite Trump's order to reduce drills with S. KoreaNorth Korea on Wednesday continued to denounce a joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States, even after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a scaling back of combined drills with Seoul. The North slammed the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise that kicked off Monday for an 11-day run, vowing to "completely neutralize the enemies military threat" and exercise its right to self-defense, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). North Korea's "exercise of its right to self-defense will continue to completely neutralize the enemies' military threat until the enemy states give up their reckless dream of overwhelming someone by force," a commentary carried by the KCNA showed. "All the war drills for aggression staged by the enemy states in the Korean peninsula and the region will never produce the results desired by them," it said. North Korea made no mention of Trump's recent order to scale back the annual combined exercise, a move widely seen as a conciliatory gesture aimed at reviving dialogue with Pyongyang. Instead, the commentary criticized the exercise atAug 19, 2026By Yonhap
Trump-Kim summit not imminent, but door remains open: expertsWhile U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had responded to his recent outreach, talks between the two leaders are unlikely to resume soon, though the possibility remains, experts said. Asked why Kim hadn't replied to his requests for talks, Trump told reporters, "How do you know he hasn't responded?" When pressed on whether Kim had in fact responded, Trump said, "Yeah, he has." Regarding the progress of the exchange, he only said that "it's very positive," offering no further detail. The remarks came a day after Trump ordered the Pentagon to reduce what he called "inappropriate and hostile" military drills with Seoul — the first such move since the start of his second term. During his first term, following the June 2018 summit with Kim in Singapore, Trump similarly scaled down and suspended some drills, referring to them as "war games." The drawdown appears to be taking shape on the ground. A source close to the matter said Tuesday that the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command deployed personnel to CP Tango, the wartime command post in Seongnam, GyAug 18, 2026By Park Ji-won
Trump-Kim summit could boost peace on Korean Peninsula: Seoul officialThe unification ministry on Tuesday expressed hope for a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, stressing that such a meeting, if held, may help bring peace and stability to the Korean Peninsula. "If realized, it is expected to contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and to a shift toward a phase of inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation," a ministry official told reporters. It is also the ministry's "consistent" position on any potential summit between North Korea and the United States, the official added. The remarks come after Trump on Monday (U.S. time) said the North Korean leader has responded to his overture for dialogue, a day after he ordered a substantial reduction in South Korea-U.S. military exercises, seen as a reconciliatory gesture toward Pyongyang. Asked to elaborate on his exchange with Kim, Trump described it as "very positive," without providing further details. On the potential resumption of dialogue, the ministry official said Seoul is ready to serve as a "pacemaker" in helping facilitate it, adding therAug 18, 2026By Yonhap
