Trump seeks November summit with Kim, but experts doubt N. Korea will respond

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed interest in reestablishing contact with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, potentially through a summit during Trump's planned visit to China in November. However, experts doubt that North Korea would respond positively to such an overture. Analysts emphasize that Pyongyang sees no pressing need to resume negotiations, as it is now well-supported by Russia and China.

Compared to the previous meetings between Trump and Kim in 2018 and 2019, North Korea requires less sanction relief currently. Moreover, Kim could insist on North Korea being acknowledged as a nuclear power, a demand that would likely be rejected by the United States. Additionally, Kim might question whether meeting Trump would benefit him, particularly if the Republican Party loses 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, citing the country's improved relations with Russia and the support it receives in return for aiding Moscow's war against Ukraine. Similarly, Shin Beom-chul, a senior research fellow at the Sejong Institute, agreed that Pyongyang has little incentive to engage with Trump's proposal.