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South Korea Backs Trump’s Plan to Restart Talks with North Korea

9/9/2026

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Summary

Trump seeks meeting

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said military will back President Donald Trump’s effort to restart U.S.–North Korea talks.
North Korea has installed mines and barbed-wire fences along the inter-Korean border since 2024.
President Donald Trump said he hopes to meet Kim Jong Un during a November APEC trip to China.
South Korea, the United States and Japan began a five-day Freedom Edge joint exercise near Jeju Island.

Summary

Kim commissions destroyer

Kim Jong Un commissioned the 5,000-ton Kang Kon destroyer, capable of carrying nuclear payloads.
Russian assistance reportedly helped build the Kang Kon and its sister ship, Choe Hyon.
Kim pledged another major naval advance within eight months, likely a nuclear-powered submarine.
Freedom Edge drill, involving 560 Japanese troops, 2,300 personnel and six destroyers, occurs off Jeju Island without an aircraft carrier.

History

Historical Context

After the United States deployed up to 950 nuclear warheads in South Korea by 1967, Washington negotiated the 21 October 1994 Agreed Framework—freezing North Korea’s plutonium program in exchange for 500,000 tons of heavy fuel oil and promised light-water reactors. Ahn Gyu-back now backs Trump’s push to revive talks as Kim Jong Un commissions a 5,000-ton destroyer, risking renewed drills.

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Trump seeks meeting

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said military will back President Donald Trump’s effort to restart U.S.–North Korea talks.
North Korea has installed mines and barbed-wire fences along the inter-Korean border since 2024.
President Donald Trump said he hopes to meet Kim Jong Un during a November APEC trip to China.
South Korea, the United States and Japan began a five-day Freedom Edge joint exercise near Jeju Island.

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