Editorials
Close coordination essential in any Trump-Kim talks
Any renewed summit must be closely coordinated with Seoul to protect South Korea’s security and advance denuclearization.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during a meeting on the south side of the military demarcation line that divides North and South Korea, in the Joint Security Area of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone on June 30, 2019.
AFP/YONHAP
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump has instructed aides to pursue a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this fall. One option reportedly under discussion is holding the meeting during Trump’s trip to Asia for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, in November.
Trump sought a meeting with Kim during last year’s APEC summit in Gyeongju, but it did not materialize. He is now trying again. As an apparent preliminary step, Trump unilaterally announced a reduction in joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises. The two countries’ defense authorities said yesterday that exercises originally scheduled through Aug. 27 would end early on Friday.
Another Trump-Kim meeting during Trump’s second term was foreseeable. The timing, however, raises concerns.
Trump’s approval rating has fallen to its lowest level of his term after failing to produce clear achievements in Ukraine, Gaza and the war with Iran. A summit with Kim could therefore be intended as a political turnaround ahead of the November midterm elections.
Foreign media and diplomatic experts warn that negotiations would take place in circumstances fundamentally different from those of Trump’s first-term summits with Kim in 2018 and 2019. North Korea has significantly advanced its nuclear capabilities, enshrined its nuclear-armed status in its Constitution and strengthened its alignment with China and Russia. Negotiations could consequently begin on a playing field tilted toward Pyongyang.
Equally troubling is that the summit is being pursued as disagreements within the South Korea-U.S. alliance grow over major issues, including implementation of the joint trade and security fact sheet, the transfer of wartime operational control and military support in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump’s transactional approach and tendency to discount alliances could become particularly dangerous if compounded by inadequate communication between Seoul and Washington. An agreement between Washington and Pyongyang could potentially undermine South Korea’s security interests.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told the National Assembly on Wednesday that neither the push for a Trump-Kim summit nor Trump’s instruction to scale back the joint military exercises had been discussed with South Korea in advance.
The South Korean government must ensure above all that Seoul’s voice is reflected throughout preparations for any summit and during the talks themselves. That requires urgent coordination between Seoul and Washington on the various disputes currently straining the alliance.
The public should also remain wary of treating summit diplomacy as a cure-all driven by the political calculations of either government. If Trump and Kim do meet, the talks must ultimately serve the goal of North Korea’s denuclearization.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
