North Korea and the US may resume talks - South Korean intelligence
**DPRK, US may resume talks — South Korean intelligence**
Representative Yoon Gong-yeon told Reuters after a briefing by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) that there is a possibility that talks between North Korea and the United States may resume. While there is no confirmation yet of any concrete contacts between Pyongyang and Washington, the lawmaker said, “As for the North Korea-US summit, there is an assessment that talks can start at any time.”
US President Donald Trump said in August that he planned to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un by the end of 2026. The statement came after Trump ordered a sharp reduction in annual joint military exercises between the US and South Korea. Trump and Kim Jong-un met three times in 2018-2019.
**Kim Joo-yeon's Succession Preparations and the Russo-Ukrainian War**
South Korean intelligence suggests that Kim Jong-un's daughter, Kim Joo-yeon, is being groomed as his successor. According to intelligence assessments, Joo-yeon's frequent appearances in North Korean state media are also linked to her preparation as a successor.
South Korean intelligence also assessed the likelihood of Pyongyang sending additional troops to fight on the side of Russia in the war in Ukraine as "extremely low" for now. Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, has denied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's claim that Pyongyang is planning to send up to 50,000 more troops to help Russia.
**Intelligence and the DPRK's Position**
Another lawmaker who attended the briefing, Yu Yong-ha, said that the National Intelligence Service had obtained a blueprint for a North Korean missile and an internal document from the country's ruling party, but did not provide further details.
In February, Kim Jong-un said he was ready to negotiate with the United States if Washington stopped its "hostile policy." At the same time, Pyongyang has repeatedly said it will not give up its nuclear weapons. In July 2025, Kim Yo-jong said that new talks with the United States would only make sense if Washington recognized the DPRK's nuclear status. She also noted that personal relations between Trump and Kim Jong-un were "not bad."
On August 17, Trump ordered the Pentagon to "significantly reduce" the 10-day joint military exercises with South Korea. He also noted that he has a "very good relationship" with Kim Jong-un. On August 19, it became known that Trump was considering the possibility of meeting Kim Jong-un in the fall.