President Trump is ready to talk with Kim Jong Un. The White House made that clear in a new statement. No preconditions are required for the meeting.

A White House official spoke with Fox News Digital. The message was direct and unambiguous.

“President Trump in his first term held three historic summits with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un that stabilized the Korean Peninsula. U.S. policy on North Korea has not changed. President Trump remains open to talking with Kim Jong Un, without any preconditions.”

The announcement comes at a critical time. South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young just issued a sobering warning. He spoke to reporters in Berlin this week.

Chung used blunt language about North Korea’s capabilities.

“North Korea has become one of the three countries capable of attacking the U.S. mainland. What needs to be acknowledged should be acknowledged rationally.”

That puts North Korea in the same category as Russia and China. The strategic implications are enormous.

Chung explained how the situation has changed since 2018. That’s when Trump and Kim held their first summit in Singapore.

“Acknowledging this reality should be the starting point” in dealing with the regime, Chung told reporters.

Pyongyang’s strategic position is different now. They’ve made significant advances in missile technology.

But some experts question the new framing. Bob Peters is a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation. He focuses on strategic deterrence.

Peters says North Korea has had ICBM capability for years.

“They’ve tested ICBMs for a long time. The question, then, for a long time, is, do they have a warhead that can go underneath a nose cone on an ICBM that goes by definition, exo atmospheric, comes down and then hits a target with some semblance of accuracy and then detonate and produce a nuclear yield. That’s been the real question — do they have that capability? That’s not what it sounded like the South Korean minister said.”

Kim Jong Un has his own conditions for talks. State media quoted his position recently.

“If the United States drops the absurd obsession with denuclearizing us and accepts reality, and wants genuine peaceful coexistence, there is no reason for us not to sit down with the United States.”

A potential meeting would be Trump’s fourth with the dictator. North Korea has grown increasingly hostile to U.S. interests recently.

Back in July, the White House said Trump remained open to engagement. The goal was achieving a fully denuclearized North Korea. But North Korea rejected talks if denuclearization was the demand.

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong spoke at the United Nations General Assembly on Monday. He made North Korea’s position crystal clear. His country will never give up its nuclear program.

Trump is scheduled to travel to Asia later this month. He’ll attend an economic leaders’ summit with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. A senior U.S. official confirmed no DMZ meeting with Kim is currently planned.

Reports suggest Trump may meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. This could happen at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit from October 30 to November 1. Plans are still being finalized.

Last month, Xi invited Trump and first lady Melania Trump to visit China. Trump returned the invitation.

A senior official said progress on nuclear talks depends on China.

“The first thing that would need to happen is for the Chinese to acknowledge and be more transparent about its own programs.”

U.S. estimates put China’s nuclear arsenal at about 600 warheads in 2024. Projections show 1,000 by 2030. North Korea is believed to possess roughly 50 warheads. They have enough fissile material for up to 90.

Last year, Pyongyang test-fired its Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile. North Korea claims it can strike the American mainland.

Trump is strengthening deterrence while keeping talks open. He’s pursuing peace through strength. His willingness to engage without preconditions shows confidence.

The situation remains tense. But Trump’s approach worked before. He stabilized the Korean Peninsula through direct diplomacy. Now he’s ready to do it again.