USA

South Korea Says Trump Wants Dialogue With North Korea

19 September 2026 09:09 AM

NEWS DESK

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said Friday that US President Donald Trump wants to engage in dialogue with North Korea, while reiterating that South Korea will not deploy troops to support military intervention in the Iran war.

Lee said it was still uncertain whether talks between Washington and Pyongyang would take place, but that the possibility could not be ruled out.

South Korea is continuing preliminary coordination efforts aimed at creating conditions for the resumption of dialogue between the United States and North Korea.

According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, Lee said restarting dialogue between North Korea and the United States would be easier than initiating direct talks between the two Koreas.

Trump has expressed interest in reviving the relationship he developed with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his first term. He has said he plans to meet Kim later this year and stressed the importance of maintaining good relations with the North Korean leader.

Trump also claimed that North Korea currently possesses 57 powerful nuclear weapons. South Korean estimates, however, put North Korea's nuclear arsenal at approximately 80 to 120 warheads.

North Korea has received significant support from Russia in recent years but has not issued a clear response to Trump's latest comments about renewed engagement.

Relations between the two Koreas improved significantly in 2018, but deteriorated after talks between Trump and Kim broke down in 2019.

Separately, a court in Seoul on Thursday ordered North Korea to pay approximately $32.5 million in damages over the destruction of an inter-Korean liaison office in 2020.

The office had been established to improve relations and facilitate communication between the two Koreas. North Korea demolished the building as tensions between the neighbours escalated.

Lee has also reiterated that South Korea will not deploy troops to the Strait of Hormuz despite growing pressure from the United States.

Lee has made the position clear on three occasions, saying Seoul would not send forces that could become involved in an armed conflict.

“It needs to be made clear,” Lee said, according to Yonhap. “There will be no deployment of troops that could lead to involvement in a conflict. There will be no participation or involvement in the war.”

Protests have been held in various parts of South Korea in recent weeks against the possibility of deploying South Korean military assets to the Strait of Hormuz. The issue has generated opposition from significant sections of South Korean society.

Lee said South Korea would, however, take the minimum necessary measures to protect its commercial vessels and oil transportation routes.

The issue comes as Seoul seeks to strengthen relations with other countries while balancing its security alliance with Washington and avoiding direct involvement in conflicts beyond the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea North Korea Trump