‘He wants distraction’: Bolton says Trump may seek Pyongyang summit with Kim Jong-un

John Bolton, former White House national security adviser, believes that President Donald Trump may seek to hold his next summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang. Bolton stated that after Trump's first meeting with Kim in Singapore and his visit to the DMZ in 2019, the only remaining step would be for Trump to visit Pyongyang.

Bolton suggested that Trump's motivation for such a meeting might be to capture attention-grabbing visuals, divert attention from other issues, or address any unfavorable domestic political climate after the midterms. Additionally, Bolton noted that Trump had previously offered to fly Kim back to Pyongyang via Air Force One during the 2018 Singapore summit, emphasizing that the primary goal of such a trip would be publicity.

Bolton expressed skepticism about any tangible outcomes North Korea might achieve, whereas North Korea would likely be well-prepared to extract whatever concessions they believed attainable from Trump. Concerns were raised regarding Trump's habit of prioritizing personal relationships over his advisers' policy coordination, particularly in light of Trump's recent decision to scale back the US' Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercise with South Korea.

Bolton also suggested that North Korea's improved battlefield skills and drone capabilities, gained through their involvement in Russia's Ukraine war, could potentially test the US' commitment to South Korea's defense, possibly through a limited military provocation. Trump's repeated attempts to "look overseas" in case of domestic challenges might also drive him to seek a Pyongyang summit.

Former acting US ambassador to South Korea, Joseph Yun, commented that North Korea viewed the summit as "unfinished business" from Trump's first term, acknowledging that Kim had little incentive to be excited about another meeting with Trump, considering the failure of the Hanoi summit and North Korea's strengthened position internationally.

Yun suggested that Kim might still agree to a meeting, but with the caveat that the chances of meaningful results were slim.