Will Trump Meet Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang in November? Concerns Over an “Empty Surprise Show”

[Financial News] Predictions have emerged that U.S. President Donald Trump could visit Pyongyang this coming November and hold a surprise meeting with North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un. It is said that he wants to set a record as the first U.S. president in history to visit Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. However, controversy has been raised regarding the effectiveness of such a visit due to the lack of follow-up measures. President Trump has instructed his staff to push for a North Korea-U.S. summit during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Shenzhen, China, this coming November.
Former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton harshly criticized the move during a virtual dialogue hosted by the Institute of Korean Studies (ICAS) in Washington, D.C., on the 1st (local time), stating, “The reason President Trump wants to meet Chairman Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang is because he needs a publicity photo, and that is really all there is to it.”
He continued, “I don't know who is advising President Trump on the North Korea issue. I'm not even sure if there is anyone advising him,” pointing out the situation at the White House where unilateral decisions are being made without the advice of staff.
Former Advisor Bolton shared an anecdote about how President Trump surprised his aides during the Singapore summit by spontaneously suggesting to Chairman Kim that they ride together on Air Force One and visit Pyongyang.
From North Korea's perspective, President Trump's visit to Pyongyang could be a favorable opportunity to strengthen regime cohesion and serve as internal propaganda. When President Trump visits Pyongyang, he might bring an extraordinary “package of gifts,” such as the lifting of economic sanctions in exchange for North Korea's limited nuclear disarmament.
Our government is also excessively focused solely on the success of the meeting between the U.S. and North Korea, resulting in a complete lack of substantive follow-up measures regarding the repercussions that will unfold after the talks.
There are also observations within and outside diplomatic circles that if discussions on the four-party peace regime involving South Korea, North Korea, the U.S., and China, which President Lee Jae Myung is currently pursuing, begin in earnest, the dissolution of the United Nations Command (UNC) in Korea and the transfer of jurisdiction over the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) will emerge as security issues.
In this regard, a senior official from the Ministry of Unification (MOU) stated regarding discussions on the dissolution of the UNC following the armistice negotiations, “It is not a subject for discussion yet.”
Meanwhile, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) analyzed during a business report at a closed-door plenary session of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee the previous day that “a North Korea-U.S. summit should be viewed as possible at any time.” The NIS explained, “While concrete facts regarding contact between North Korea and the U.S. have not been confirmed at present, there are signs of dialogue.”
The White House is reportedly beginning practical, behind-the-scenes preparations, such as the excavation of U.S. military remains, in anticipation of a potential agreement between the U.S. and North Korea. The recovery and repatriation of U.S. military remains are considered a key humanitarian card capable of swaying domestic public opinion and the first step in building trust between the two nations. The United States and North Korea conducted 37 joint remains recovery operations in North Korea between 1996 and 2005. Of the remains recovered during this period, the identities of 153 U.S. soldiers have been confirmed.

[email protected] Kim Kyung-soo Reporter