Bolton sees possibility of Trump meeting Kim in Pyongyang, warns of summit risks

Former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton suggested on Tuesday that President Donald Trump may meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang for another summit, despite acknowledging the significant risks associated with such an endeavor. Bolton, who served as a top security aide to Trump from 2018-2019, made these comments during an online forum hosted by the Institute for Corean-American Studies (ICAS).

Trump has expressed his intention to meet Kim later this year, having already held three meetings with the North Korean leader during his first term: one in Singapore in June 2018, another in Hanoi in February 2019, and a third at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in June 2019. Bolton argued that Trump would consider Pyongyang as a potential venue for a meeting because Trump had already been to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and walked in North Korea during the Panmunjom summit.

He also noted that there was little novelty in repeating a meeting in the same location, adding that the risk of renewed tensions between the two nations during any future summit was very high.