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

John Bolton, former White House national security adviser during Donald Trump's first administration, forecasted that Trump may orchestrate his subsequent summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang. Bolton stated on a virtual platform hosted by the Institute for Corean-American Studies in Washington, "After being the first president to meet with the North Korean leader in Singapore, after being the first president to enter North Korea at the DMZ meeting in 2019, there’s only one more step to go, and that’s Trump visiting Pyongyang."

Bolton delved into the potential motivations behind Trump's inclination for such a summit: "Because he wants the pictures. He wants distraction. He wants something other than worrying about the war in the Middle East or prices in the United States or the November election."

He also conjectured that Trump's interest in a trip to Pyongyang may stem from a desire to demonstrate his authority overseas should domestic politics turn unfavorable post the midterms. Bolton added that Trump had previously offered to transport Kim to Pyongyang on Air Force One during their summit in Singapore back in 2018. "The purpose of a trip to Pyongyang is the publicity. That’s really the sum and substance of it," Bolton remarked. "I’m very skeptical that there is anything we can get out of him."

Regarding North Korea, Bolton expressed skepticism about what they might gain from a meeting with Trump. "North Korea, on the other hand, will have thought through very carefully what they think they can extract from" Trump, Bolton said. "I think Trump just dreamed this up one day."

Another risk Bolton highlighted was Trump's propensity to prioritize personal relationships with world leaders over the counsel of his advisors. He recalled Trump's recent order to curtail the US’ Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercises with South Korea, a move he attributed to Trump's tendency to value personal connections over policy coordination.

Bolton also noted the potential of North Korea leveraging its battlefield prowess and drone capabilities from their deployment in Russia's Ukraine war to challenge the US' commitment to South Korea’s defense. "And just thinking of the Northern Limit Line, [North Korea could] just take a couple islands on the other side of it," Bolton said, describing a hypothetical move as "kind of a test case just to see what [. . .] Trump’s resolve would be."

Joseph Yun, the former acting ambassador to South Korea, commented on Trump's perspective of North Korea as "unfinished business" from his first term. Yun suggested that Kim had little incentive to be enthusiastic about another meeting with Trump, given his recollection of the failed Hanoi summit and North Korea's strengthened international standing.

Yun also opined that even if Kim agreed to a meeting, the likelihood of achieving meaningful results would be minimal. Questions or comments can be directed to english@hani.co.kr.