Trump officials explore ‘small deal’ with N. Korea, possibility of halting joint drills

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump, shake hands during their summit on Sentosa Island in Singapore, June 2018. EPA-Yonhap

The Trump administration has been seeking input from the South Korean government and regional experts since early this year on conditions for resuming dialogue with North Korea, including the potential suspension of joint military exercises with Seoul.

Multiple diplomatic sources confirmed on Thursday that officials from U.S. President Donald Trump’s foreign policy team made several visits to South Korea in February and March.

They inquired whether steps such as suspending U.S.-ROK joint drills or halting the deployment of strategic assets could still be considered valid reciprocal measures in response to a freeze or partial rollback of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

The consultations suggest the Trump team is considering the 2018 Singapore summit agreement between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a possible foundation for a renewed round of U.S.-North Korea talks — dubbed “Singapore 2.0” by some observers.

A government source familiar with the talks said, “There was a shared understanding that measures agreed upon in the original Singapore summit would be necessary to resume any form of dialogue. The suspension of joint U.S.-South Korea military drills was being treated almost as a given.”

The Trump team floated a “small deal” framework in which North Korea would freeze or curb its weapons development in exchange for the suspension of allied military exercises and the non-deployment of key strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula.

With the prospect of renewed U.S.-North Korea talks, diplomatic circles in Seoul are increasingly viewing dialogue as a matter of “when,” not “if.”

According to sources, the South Korean government has already drafted phased scenarios outlining possible paths toward restarting negotiations.

The situation drew additional attention in April when the sudden acceleration of ceasefire talks in Ukraine raised the possibility that the U.S. might simultaneously explore diplomatic engagement with Pyongyang.

However, due to ongoing political turmoil in the U.S., no formal decision or policy shift has been made.

The Lee Jae-myung administration, having recently begun receiving policy briefings, is expected to take a clearer stance on the matter going forward.

A South Korean foreign ministry official said, “We are in close communication with the U.S. at all levels regarding North Korea policy. The U.S. has reaffirmed on multiple occasions its intention to closely coordinate on this issue.”

The official added, “The government believes that confidence-building and tension reduction with North Korea are essential steps toward reopening dialogue and making meaningful progress on peace and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.