Trump team discussing renewed direct talks with North Korea's Kim Jong-un: Report

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Trump team discussing renewed direct talks with North Korea's Kim Jong-un: Report

Published: 27 Nov. 2024, 17:44 Updated: 27 Nov. 2024, 17:54

SEO JI-EUN
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Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

U.S. President Donald Trump, right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hold hands during an encounter at the Panmunjom truce village along the inter-Korean border on June 30, 2019, in this photo carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. [YONHAP]

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's team is reportedly discussing pursuing direct talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a move seen as a possible effort to reduce risks of armed conflict through renewed diplomacy.

Although discussions are underway, no final decisions have been made, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing two sources familiar with the talks.

Reuters added that the initial goal would be to reestablish basic engagement with Pyongyang, though further policy objectives or a detailed timeline remain undefined.

Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump frequently highlighted his bromance with Kim, hinting at reviving the summit process. At the Republican National Convention in July, Trump said it was “nice to get along with someone who has a lot of nuclear weapons,” adding that if re-elected, he would “get along" well with the North Korean leader.

On Friday, Trump appointed Alex Wong, a former State Department official who played a crucial role in earlier U.S.-North Korea negotiations, as deputy national security adviser. Analysts interpret the move as a signal of renewed interest in resuming talks with Pyongyang. “As Deputy Special Representative for North Korea, he helped negotiate my summit with North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un,” Trump said in a statement.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meet at their first summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018. The summit marks the first meeting between an incumbent U.S. President and a North Korean leader. [EPA/YONHAP]

This approach mirrors Trump’s first term as president from 2017 to 2021, during which he met Kim three times — in Singapore in June 2018, in Hanoi in February 2019 and at the Korean border in Panmunjom in June 2019 alongside then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Trump was the first incumbent U.S. president to meet with a North Korean leader.

Despite the historic nature of these summits, they failed to produce lasting agreements.

The breakdown of the February 2019 Hanoi summit came as Kim had offered to dismantle its Yongbyon nuclear facility, whereas Trump wanted a “Yongbyon plus alpha.” Trump’s skepticism regarding Kim’s sincerity led to the collapse of the talks.

North Korea’s confidence in its nuclear and missile capabilities appears to have grown, as evidenced by its public display of a uranium enrichment facility in September and closer ties to Russia. During the Defence Development-2024 exhibition, Kim made his first official statement directed at the incoming Trump administration, saying, “We already did everything possible in the bilateral negotiations with the United States."

While Kim has drawn a line against denuclearization, experts suggest that North Korea may push for arms control talks instead, positioning itself as a nuclear-armed state to enhance its bargaining power.

Observers predict that U.S.-North Korea dialogue during Trump’s second term may emerge later in his presidency, as Trump is expected to focus on resolving pressing issues such as Russia's war against Ukraine before turning to North Korea as a potential diplomatic breakthrough.

“The realization of U.S.-North Korea summit diplomacy is only a matter of time," said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies.

"Considering global priorities and the necessity of engagement, a summit could occur during the second half of 2025 or the first half of 2026," he added. "North Korea’s ability to focus on negotiations with minimal variables could give it an advantage over the United States, which faces numerous domestic and international considerations."

BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]