Ex-U.S. official sees 'low' possibility for Trump-Kim summit during Trump's anticipated China trip

▲ This AFP file photo shows U.S. President Donald Trump (R) shaking hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after signing a joint statement at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. (Yonhap)

ex-US official-NK diplomacy

Ex-U.S. official sees 'low' possibility for Trump-Kim summit during Trump's anticipated China trip

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, March 23 (Yonhap) -- A former senior U.S. official said Monday the possibility of U.S. President Donald Trump having a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his anticipated trip to China is "somewhat low" due to the ongoing war with Iran and the need to focus on the summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

He made the remarks on condition of anonymity during a virtual forum, voicing skepticism that Pyongyang is as motivated as it was in the first Trump administration to seek diplomacy with Washington, given its rising reliance on Russia and China for support.

Speculation has persisted that Trump might seek to rekindle his personal diplomacy with Kim when he visits China as the White House has said he remains open to dialogue with Kim "without any preconditions." Trump had reportedly planned to visit China from March 31 to April 2, but his trip has been postponed because of the war with Iran.

"My sense is that there is still definitely interest in certain parts of the Trump administration for reopening lines of communication with Pyongyang and potentially pursuing some kind of diplomacy with North Korea," he said.

"Could (a summit) happen when the president comes (to China) in just a few weeks? I personally think the odds of that are somewhat low ... I do think that the bandwidth for the U.S. to pursue that right now is most likely somewhat constrained by Iran and the need to prepare for the U.S.-China summit," he added.

He pointed out that the situation has changed "dramatically" from the first Trump administration, when there was a flurry of diplomacy between the U.S. and the North. During his first term, Trump held three in-person meetings with Kim -- the first in Singapore in June 2018, the second in Hanoi in February 2019 and at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in June 2019.

"Namely, I think North Korea is not particularly interested in talking to the U.S. Right now, it's not particularly interested in a deal with the United States," he said.

"I do think that Pyongyang learned certain lessons from the first Trump administration, and I think that's made Pyongyang a little bit gun-shy about diving head first into diplomacy with the U.S. again."

Moreover, he cited expanding cooperation between North Korea and Russia as another factor.

"I think North Korea is probably getting most of the support that it thinks it needs, particularly from Russia and China," he said. "So I am skeptical that North Korea is as motivated as it was in the first Trump administration to pursue that diplomacy."

Asked whether China would support the Trump-Kim summit should it be held, the former official noted that Beijing is "always" concerned "first and foremost" with stability on the Korean Peninsula.

"If they thought their facilitation of diplomacy between (the U.S. and the North) would advance that interest, I wouldn't rule it out," he said.

During a key ruling party congress last month, the North Korean leader said that Pyongyang has "no reason not to get along with the U.S." if Washington withdraws its hostile policy -- remarks that raised hopes of the resumption of diplomacy between the U.S. and the North.

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