U.S. President Donald Trump wants to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un again later this year, but Pyongyang has responded cautiously, signaling that a return to negotiations would require Washington to make significant changes.
Trump said Wednesday that he expected to meet Kim, reviving the possibility of another high-level encounter after their previous summits in 2018 and 2019 failed to produce a lasting agreement.
The North Korean response has been notably cooler.
Kim Yo Jong, Kim’s influential sister, said the U.S. policy toward North Korea remained hostile and rejected the idea that Washington’s decision to reduce the scale of joint military exercises with South Korea represented a meaningful gesture.
She also said she was unaware of any recent communication between Trump and Kim, although she described the two leaders’ personal relationship as “excellent.”
“If the U.S. side attempts to promote the measures they have taken this time as some kind of ‘goodwill gesture,’ they will not get the answer they desire,” she said, according to North Korean state media.
North Korea also launched about 10 ballistic missiles off its east coast on Thursday, according to South Korea’s military. Analysts said the launches may have been intended as a protest against the continuing U.S.-South Korean exercises.
North Korea wants more than personal diplomacy
As reported in Reuters, Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said North Korea was making clear that personal ties would not take precedence over its military and national security objectives.
“Personal ties will never be allowed to compromise national security interests or efforts to strengthen military capabilities,” Lim said.
Trump and Kim’s earlier diplomacy ultimately collapsed over U.S. demands that North Korea surrender its nuclear weapons. Although Trump has since repeatedly referred to North Korea as a “nuclear power,” his administration continues to pursue denuclearization and does not formally recognize Pyongyang as a nuclear-weapon state.
Pyongyang has less incentive to negotiate
North Korea may also have less reason to return to negotiations than it did during Trump’s first term.
At that time, Kim was seeking sanctions relief. Since then, North Korea has strengthened its relationships with China and Russia, while increased trade with both countries has contributed to economic growth.
Trump, meanwhile, is seeking a diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea as he faces other major international challenges. A person briefed on discussions between U.S. and South Korean officials said Trump was eager to restart negotiations and secure an international foreign-policy achievement.
South Korea has privately been receptive to Trump’s approach, although Seoul remains concerned about reducing its joint military exercises with Washington.
Trump could also attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen later this year, creating a possible opportunity for a meeting with Kim if Pyongyang agrees to renewed engagement.
