U.S. President Donald Trump has continued to send overtures to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. After referring to North Korea as a "Nuclear Power," he also indicated his willingness to discuss sanctions against North Korea during a possible U.S.-North Korea summit. With only the final decisions from President Trump and Chairman Kim remaining before a potential summit, North Korea has remained silent and is closely monitoring the situation just one day ahead of Trump’s visit to South Korea.
According to AFP and other foreign media outlets on the 28th, President Trump, speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Tokyo, Japan, on the 27th (local time), stated regarding what the United States could offer in a meeting with Kim Jong Un, "We have sanctions (against North Korea). There is nothing bigger than that." This marks the first time since the start of his second term that President Trump has explicitly expressed his intention to discuss North Korea sanctions with Chairman Kim.
President Trump also conveyed that he might extend his scheduled two-day visit to South Korea from the 29th to the 30th if it would facilitate a U.S.-North Korea summit. Regarding the possibility of extending his Asia tour, he said, "Since I will be in South Korea, I can go right there. It is a very easy thing." Despite partially accepting North Korea’s demand to be recognized as a nuclear power, there has been no response from Pyongyang, prompting Trump to offer a bigger incentive-sanctions relief.
Although President Trump continues to send overtures for a U.S.-North Korea summit ahead of his visit to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, Chairman Kim, who now holds the ball, has yet to make any statement and remains silent.
There are mixed opinions on whether President Trump’s repeated overtures will serve as an effective incentive to bring Kim Jong Un to the negotiating table. Some point out that the possibility of sanctions relief may not be particularly attractive to North Korea, given that the country has already received significant economic compensation through its involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war. Hong Min, Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, stated, "President Trump’s repeated offers indicate that there is little communication between the U.S. and North Korea," adding, "A summit will only become possible if demands such as recognition as a nuclear-armed state and peaceful coexistence are met."
Meanwhile, Choe Son Hui, North Korea’s Foreign Minister and a key advisor to Kim Jong Un on diplomatic and security affairs, visited Russia, where she paid a courtesy call on President Vladimir Putin and held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The Russian side stated during the talks, "We fully support North Korea’s efforts and measures to safeguard its current status, security interests, and sovereign rights." This is interpreted as an expression of support for North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons, which Pyongyang refers to as its "sovereign right."
Yang Moojin, Distinguished Professor at the University of North Korean Studies, commented, "Foreign Minister Choe’s recent visits to China and Russia were aimed at preventing China and Russia from being sidelined if U.S.-North Korea talks resume," adding, "With the diplomatic burden of a summit now gone, only Chairman Kim’s final decision remains for the meeting to take place."
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