Lee Hyo-jin covers the Bank of Korea, the banking industry and broader financial news. Her previous beats include foreign affairs, North Korea and general reporting on Korean society.
Trump's April Beijing trip offers window for US-N. Korea summit
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un cross south over the Military Demarcation Line that divides the two Koreas, after Trump briefly stepped over to the northern side, in the Joint Security Area of the demilitarized zone, June 30, 2019. AFP-Yonhap
By Lee Hyo-jin
Seoul reiterates support for US-NK dialogue after Trump-Kim meeting fails to materialize alongside APEC summit
The next possible opportunity for a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could come during Trump's planned trip to Beijing in April, according to local observers on Monday.
After Trump's Asia trip last week ended without a much-anticipated meeting with Kim, speculation is mounting that the two sides may seek to arrange one early next year.
Following a high-stakes summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Thursday, both sides confirmed that Trump will visit Beijing in April.
As the U.S. president wrapped up his visit to South Korea, he told reporters he would "come back for a meeting with Kim Jong-un." The remarks came after their encounter failed to materialize, despite Trump repeatedly saying he "would love to meet" the North Korean leader during his Asia trip.
Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies, said a Trump-Kim encounter in April coinciding with Trump's planned trip to Beijing is a realistic possibility.
"As the North Korean regime is expected to set its diplomatic direction for 2026 during its party congress in January, concrete steps toward engagement with the U.S. could follow," Yang said. "It is possible that Trump could take more tangible steps, such as hinting at easing sanctions and scaling down joint military exercises with South Korea, to bring Kim to the negotiating table."
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits the headquarters of the 11th Corps of the Korean People's Army, Saturday, in this photo published by the Korean Central News Agency the next day. Yonhap
The South Korean government reiterated its support for renewed U.S.-North Korea engagement.
"As the window of opportunity for peace on the Korean Peninsula and dialogue between North Korea and the U.S. remains open, we hope North Korea will make a strategic decision not to miss this chance," unification ministry spokesperson Koo Byung-sam said Monday.
"The government will continue consistent efforts to support the resumption of U.S.-North Korea dialogue and the restoration of inter-Korean relations."
Still, Seoul officials are watching cautiously to see how any potential Trump-Kim meeting could affect the broader goal of denuclearization.
Ahead of his Asia trip, Trump described North Korea as "sort of a nuclear power," raising alarm in Seoul over potential U.S. recognition of Pyongyang's nuclear-armed status — a long-sought ambition of the Kim regime.
In a statement carried by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency Saturday, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong-ho dismissed denuclearization talks as futile.
"We will show with patience that denuclearization is a 'pipe dream' that can never be realized even if it is discussed a thousand times," Pak said.
Some analysts say Seoul's plan to develop nuclear-powered submarines could become a new variable in denuclearization talks after Trump gave his approval for the program on Thursday.
While Seoul’s planned submarines would carry only conventional weapons and thus not violate the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), observers warn that Pyongyang could use the move to justify further expansion of its own nuclear arsenal.
"North Korea should know very well that everything started with them," said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University.
"Kim Jong-un recently declared that the North would build a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine and arm it with nuclear weapons. That naturally requires South Korea to strengthen our defense readiness," he said. "On the other hand, nuclear-powered submarines are not nuclear weapons, so this does not violate international law or the NPT framework."