Potential US-North Korea Summit Looms, Despite Nuclear Concerns
NEW DELHI – South Korean intelligence believes a meeting between US and North Korean leadership is increasingly likely. This assessment emerged Wednesday following a parliamentary hearing with the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in Seoul, suggesting a potential summit could occur after March, once joint US-South Korean military exercises and North Korea’s Workers’ Party congress and military parade conclude.
The NIS indicated Pyongyang is beginning to gather intelligence on US officials involved in establishing a high-level diplomatic channel.This shift in activity follows recent, unsuccessful attempts to arrange a meeting between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un during the Gyeongju APEC summit in South Korea.
Reports from Seoul suggest North Korean foreign Minister Choe Son Hui considered postponing a trip to Russia around the same time, a move interpreted as serious consideration of a Trump summit before plans were ultimately abandoned.
While Kim Jong Un has remained open to further meetings with trump, he has consistently stated that North Korea’s nuclear program will not be a topic for discussion. Adding to the complexity, Yonhap news agency reported South Korean intelligence suggests Kim may be preparing to order a new nuclear test – the first since 2017 – should he choose to do so. Denuclearization remains a key diplomatic objective for both Seoul and Washington.
Meanwhile, a draft trade agreement between South Korea and the United States, revealed wednesday, proposes $25 billion in US weapons investments by 2030, including fighter jets, helicopters, anti-ballistic missiles, and radar aircraft.
