U.S. President Donald Trump wants another summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but the effort faces three hurdles. Kim has not responded, the two sides remain split over North Korea’s nuclear status, and Trump must keep the issue on his agenda amid other foreign policy pressures and the approaching U.S. midterm elections. Trump has also scaled back the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise with South Korea, which was seen as a conciliatory gesture toward Pyongyang.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, meets with U.S. President Donald Trump on the southern side of Panmunjeom, June 30, 2019, in this photo published by North Korea's official Rodong Sinmun the following day. Newsis
U.S. President Donald Trump wants to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un again. But seven years after their last summit, Kim has far less reason to return to the negotiating table on Washington’s terms.
A summit would first require Kim to respond. Washington and Pyongyang would then have to navigate their fundamental differences over North Korea’s nuclear status, while Trump would have to keep the issue high on his agenda amid competing foreign policy challenges and the approaching U.S. midterm elections.
Trump is openly pushing to revive summit diplomacy this year, leaning again on the personal relationship with Kim that produced unprecedented face-to-face meetings during his first term. He also recently ordered a scaling back of the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise between South Korea and the United States, prompting the allies to end the drills six days earlier than planned in what was widely seen as a conciliatory gesture toward Pyongyang.
