High Likelihood of Summit in Pyongyang This Time
Including North Korea in Nuclear Disarmament Talks
Could Be Misinterpreted as Official Recognition as a Nuclear-Armed State
John Bolton, former US National Security Advisor to the White House. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News
The first meeting between President Lee Jaemyung and US President Donald Trump on the 25th (local time) was generally received positively, but US experts expressed concerns about President Trump's intention to pursue a North Korea-US summit.
John Bolton, former White House National Security Advisor and a prominent anti-Trump figure in the United States, said during an online seminar hosted by the Institute for Corean-American Studies (ICAS) that "the most worrying aspect is President Trump’s continued fascination with Kim Jong Un (Chairman of North Korea’s State Affairs Commission) and his eagerness to hold yet another summit, just as he did three times during his first term."
He added, "And I am concerned that if a summit does take place, it could be held in Pyongyang. If you look at the geographical progression, it went from Singapore to Hanoi, and then to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The only place left where a US president has not met Kim Jong Un is the capital of North Korea."
There were differing interpretations regarding President Trump’s remarks on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. When asked by reporters what he thought was the way to make the South Korea-US alliance great, President Trump responded, "One of the things we are trying in our relations with Russia and China is denuclearization, and this is a very important issue."
Experts from the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council, a US think tank, wrote in a commentary posted on their website, "President Trump once again emphasized denuclearization as the goal of diplomacy with North Korea, highlighted his positive relationship with Kim Jong Un, and also highly praised President Lee Jaemyung’s approach to North Korea." They added, "Trump’s remarks can be seen as a direct, though diplomatically worded, rebuttal to the recent comments by Kim Yo Jong (Deputy Director of the North Korean Workers’ Party), which North Korea may accept."
Previously, Kim Yo Jong, who has represented North Korea’s position, had recently indicated in statements and reports regarding South Korea and the US that North Korea is willing to engage in dialogue with the United States on topics other than denuclearization. In her statement, she said, "I do not want to deny the fact that the personal relationship between our head of state and the current US president is not bad."
However, former National Security Advisor Bolton pointed out that President Trump’s remarks could be interpreted as recognizing North Korea as an official "nuclear-armed state" alongside China and Russia, with whom the US is discussing nuclear arms reduction. He said, "What is concerning is that this would include not only the US, Russia, and China, but all countries. In that case, North Korea would in effect be recognized as a nuclear-armed state. I don’t think Trump has considered this."
As for the South Korea-US summit itself, the overall assessment was positive. Former Advisor Bolton commented, "It was a good start in that it broke the awkwardness rather than attacking each other," and "It seems that a real sense of solidarity was formed, given that both leaders have experienced assassination attempts." The Atlantic Council also summarized, "There was no sign of conflict when the two leaders sat down together. Several signals were detected that could indicate the specific direction of the South Korea-US alliance going forward."
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