Ball in N. Korea's court after Trump's summit overture, experts say

U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated a willingness to engage with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, potentially leading to a summit during his planned trip to China in November. However, experts suggest that North Korea may not be receptive to such an overture. Pyongyang currently finds little incentive to resume negotiations, partly due to the ongoing support it receives from Russia and China.

These allies bolster North Korea's position and provide strategic advantages, diminishing the need for sanctions relief compared to previous summits in 2018 and 2019. Kim Jong-un may also demand that North Korea be recognized as a nuclear-armed state, a demand that would likely be rejected by the United States. Additionally, there is a possibility that Kim could question the value of meeting Trump if the Republican Party is unsuccessful in the upcoming U.S. midterm elections.

Yang Moo-jin, a former president of the University of North Korean Studies, stated that North Korea is unlikely to accept Trump's approach, given its strengthened ties with Russia and the support it receives in return for participating in Moscow's conflict in Ukraine. Senior research fellow Shin Beom-chul from the Sejong Institute echoed this sentiment, noting that Pyongyang is facing challenges in accepting Trump's overture.