A high-profile North Korean defector argues North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has revealed in his New Year address an intention not to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump if the two countries cannot find common ground in negotiations over denuclearization. 

Thae Yong-ho, North Korea's former deputy ambassador to London, made the argument on Wednesday at a forum organized by the main opposition Liberty Korea Party at the National Assembly in Seoul. 

What Kim is interested in, Thae said, is restarting the inter-Korean projects that are practically beneficial for the North such as the Gaeseong Industrial Complex and Mount Geumgang tourist project. 

He dismissed the speculation that the North may abandon its nuclear program in order to have economic sanctions lifted, saying as a former North Korean diplomat, he judges there is no possibility the North will think or decide in such a reasonable way.