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North Korea would want nuclear arms acknowledgment, sanctions removal if it accedes to dialogue with U.S.: Ex-U.S. envoy

Published: 17 Jan. 2026, 14:09 Updated: 17 Jan. 2026, 15:12

Former U.S. Ambassador to Korea Joseph Yun delivers an address during the Korea-U.S. Alliance conference at a Seoul hotel on Sept. 17, 2025. [YONHAP]

A former U.S. nuclear envoy said on Friday that North Korea would aim to have its nuclear weapons “acknowledged and accepted” like Pakistan's and its sanctions lifted should it accede to U.S. overtures for dialogue.

Former U.S. Special Rep. for North Korea Joseph Yun, who served as acting ambassador to Seoul from January to October 2025, made the remarks during a seminar, noting that despite U.S. President Donald Trump's wishes to resume dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Kim does not appear ready.

His remarks came amid growing speculation that Trump could seek re-engagement with Kim in the coming months as he plans to visit China in April for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“North Korean goals are twofold. [The first] is to lift sanctions, and the second is to have their nuclear weapons acknowledged and accepted,” Yun said during the seminar on the South Korea-U.S. alliance hosted by the Korea Inter-Parliamentary Exchange Center.

“It's just a little bit different from a recognized nuclear weapons power, but I think, at minimum, they want to be at a similar level as, say, Pakistan. [...] If they were guaranteed to get [the two conditions], I would imagine they would come to talks.”

His remarks were in reference to North Korea's hope to get de facto nuclear state status outside the nuclear nonproliferation treaty (NPT) framework — different from the five officially recognized nuclear weapon states under the NPT system: the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia.

Yun noted that although there is “no doubt” about the Trump administration's desire to engage North Korea, Kim does not seem prepared for dialogue.

“It takes two to tango,” he said.

The former envoy listed a range of reasons for North Korea's lack of interest in diplomacy with the United States.

They included Pyongyang's “closeness” with Moscow following its dispatch of troops to Russia and its traditional ties with China, which were underscored by the joint appearance of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a military parade in Beijing in September 2025.

Yun also pointed out that North Korea has been making money by sending troops to help Russia's war against Ukraine, as well as through cyber thefts and other means — a reason that the North Korean leader's appetite for diplomacy with the United States might have dwindled.

Kim's empty-handed return home after the no-deal summit with Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February 2019 might also be weighing on his mind, he said.

Yun underscored Seoul's role in facilitating dialogue between the United States and North Korea, calling it “pivotal.”

“Without South Korean help, there can be no talks,” he said, pointing to Seoul's efforts to support diplomacy between Trump and Kim during the first Trump administration.

“Without South Korean help, the United States cannot accomplish anything.”

Touching on U.S. approval of South Korea's push to secure nuclear-powered submarines, Yun anticipated that it will materialize despite “some skepticism.”

“I think that's going to happen. There is some skepticism, but I think it is misplaced,” he said.

“There is certainly a will in the Trump administration to accommodate nuclear submarines, and this is something that the South Korean government very much wants.”

He also expressed optimism about Seoul's drive to secure civil uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing rights, as he highlighted that the issue was addressed in an agreement between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Trump during their summit in late October of last year.

Asked about when Trump will nominate his full-fledged ambassador to South Korea, Yun said that he thinks the Trump team is looking for an envoy that is “very close to President Trump” and “very senior.”

“There are a number of countries that the Trump administration hasn't found one. Germany is another,” he said. “So I know that [South] Korea and Germany are on the very top of the list, and they are still looking.”

Currently, James Heller, the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, serves as chargé d'affaires ad interim, as Kevin Kim, the former acting ambassador, recently returned to Washington. The ambassador seat has been vacant since former Ambassador Philip Goldberg left the post in January.

Yun looked back on his time as the acting ambassador in Seoul, when uncertainty grew over the future of the bilateral alliance during a time of political turmoil in Seoul, caused by former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law bid in late 2024, with the launch of the second Trump administration raising questions over its policy toward the Asian ally.

“I think the alliance remains as strong as it's been,” he said.

Yonhap