Kim has said he said he would seek a "new way" if Washington doesn't change its hard-line stance on sanctions relief by the year's end, though experts doubt he'll fully abandon diplomacy and give away his hard-won status as a global statesman.
North Korea boosts Kim's rising status as global statesman →
Mr. Kim frequently tells his interlocutors he wants to normalize relations with the United States "fast, fast."
What Kim Jong-un wants and what it means for the United States →