Whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will meet U.S. President Donald Trump next year is drawing close attention amid hopes for progress on nuclear issues. Prospects are growing for a summit during Trump's planned April visit to China, though Pyongyang's stance against denuclearization and ties with Russia may hinder talks.
Prospects for a North Korea-U.S. summit in 2025 are under intense scrutiny, as it could influence security on the Korean Peninsula. Experts point to U.S. President Donald Trump's planned April visit to China to meet President Xi Jinping as a key opportunity, with both leaders showing openness to dialogue. Yet North Korea's rejection of denuclearization talks and deepening alliance with Russia pose significant barriers.
The last meeting between Kim Jong-un and Trump occurred in June 2019 at the Panmunjom truce village. During his late-October trip to South Korea for APEC events, Trump again urged another summit, but received no response from Pyongyang. A recent report from South Korea's Institute for National Security Strategy states, "Whether North Korea-U.S. summit talks will resume in connection with President Trump's April China visit, coupled with the November midterm elections in the U.S., could become a decisive crossroads shaping the security situation on the Korean Peninsula."
Even if held, such a summit may yield few concrete results. Bolstered by advanced nuclear and missile capabilities, Pyongyang might demand excessive concessions or refuse to dismantle its arsenal. In a September parliamentary session, Kim remarked, "There is no reason for us not to sit down with the U.S.," but only if Washington abandons its "hollow obsession" with denuclearization.
The trajectory of the Russia-Ukraine war will also affect North Korea's willingness to engage Washington. Pyongyang has capitalized on the conflict to build ties with Moscow by providing troops and weapons. An early war end could weaken this partnership, pushing North Korea to broaden relations. Hong Min from the Korea Institute for National Unification noted that the Moscow-Pyongyang alignment "may still remain in place at least for one or two years" due to postwar needs like reconstruction.
Seoul hopes Trump's China trip could spark a U.S.-North Korea thaw, allowing renewed inter-Korean dialogue. Last week, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young briefed President Lee Jae Myung on easing sanctions bilaterally and launching cooperative projects if talks resume. Chung called the lead-up to the visit "decisive" for Peninsula security. North Korea's ninth party congress, slated for January or February—the first since 2021—is expected to cover economic plans, personnel, constitution, and foreign ties, potentially formalizing views of South Korea as a hostile state.
