During Steven Biegun's visit to South Korea as the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and Special Representative for North Korea, U.S. President Donald Trump directly mentioned the possibility of a third North Korea-U.S. summit, leaving a spark for a potential turnaround in the situation. Former White House National Security Council (NSC) advisor John Bolton also reiterated the possibility of an "October surprise."
On the 7th (local time), in an interview with the U.S. 'Gray TV,' President Trump responded to a question about the third North Korea-U.S. summit by saying, "I understand that they (North Korea) want to meet, and we certainly do as well," adding that he would hold the summit if it would be helpful.
North Korea has responded swiftly to President Trump's messages. The start of the June 30 last year South Korea-North Korea-U.S. Panmunjom meeting was triggered by President Trump's "Twitter proposal." On the morning of June 29 last year, Trump tweeted, "If Chairman Kim sees this, I would be willing to meet him at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) while I am in South Korea to shake hands and say hello." Within five hours, Choe Son-hui, First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, issued a statement in response, leading to the historic Panmunjom meeting.
Former advisor Bolton again focused on the possibility of an October surprise. In an interview with Japan's Sankei Shimbun on the 9th, he said, "President Trump could stage an 'October surprise' as a drastic measure to boost his approval ratings ahead of the November election."
However, the prevailing assessment is that North Korea will not respond to President Trump's proposal this time. Ahead of Biegun's visit to South Korea and the raised possibility of a North Korea-U.S. summit discussion, North Korea issued consecutive statements under the names of Choe Son-hui, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Kwon Jong-gun, Director General for U.S. Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dismissing the possibility.
Professor Jung Dae-jin of Ajou University said, "It is doubtful whether the U.S. has the willingness or the circumstances to present a groundbreaking proposal that could overturn the current situation," adding, "President Trump's mention of the North Korea-U.S. summit is a general message with the premise 'if it would be helpful,' and there is no sign that North Korea-U.S. dialogue will resume soon."
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