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North Korea has demanded that its status as a nuclear state be recognized as a precondition for talks with the United States, according to back-to-back statements issued by Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the ruling Workers’ Party. Analysts say Pyongyang’s stance aims to pressure Washington while signaling potential flexibility depending on U.S. policy shifts.

In her latest statement, titled “Contacts between North Korea and the U.S. Are Only America’s Wish,” Kim dismissed past negotiations, saying, “This is not 2018 or 2019. We do not want to attach any significance to the U.S.’s unilateral assessment of past talks.” However, she added, “Acknowledging our irreversible nuclear-armed status and the fundamentally changed geopolitical environment must be a prerequisite for any future considerations,” hinting at conditional openness to dialogue.

Experts interpret the rare consecutive statements as Pyongyang’s attempt to leverage President Donald Trump’s stated willingness to talk and Seoul’s conciliatory stance ahead of key events such as the U.S.-Korea summit, the APEC meeting, and the unveiling of Washington’s new National Defense Strategy.

“North Korea is prioritizing its alliance with Russia in the short term while leaving room for talks with the U.S. and South Korea in the longer term,” said Im Eul-chul of Kyungnam University. “By urging ‘new thinking,’ Pyongyang is explicitly laying out its terms, distinguishing this approach from previous ones.”

Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, added, “The message is designed to block the denuclearization agenda outright and test whether the U.S. can accept nuclear recognition. Phrases like ‘accepting changed realities’ imply North Korea is open to talks if Washington signals flexibility.”

The White House responded by reaffirming its readiness for dialogue with Kim Jong-un “for denuclearization,” rejecting Pyongyang’s nuclear recognition demand. Analysts say without a clear shift in U.S. policy, resuming talks or a summit will remain unlikely.

Hong noted, “Unless President Trump makes a decisive shift, talks will be hard to resume. This is a pressure tactic to gauge Washington’s stance ahead of upcoming U.S.-Korea drills, the bilateral summit, and APEC.”

Seoul expressed support for reviving talks, with the presidential office pledging “close coordination with Washington” on North Korea policy. The Unification Ministry added it would “actively support the resumption of U.S.-North Korea talks and work to rebuild inter-Korean trust within a peaceful atmosphere.”