Seoul must step up dialogue with Washington to ensure that its interests and security are not undermined during any US-North Korea dialogue
US President Donald Trump smiles during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room of the White House with cryptocurrency executives on Aug. 19, 2026. (Reuters/Yonhap)
Even after claiming with unusual precision that North Korea has 57 nuclear weapons, US President Donald Trump ducked a question about whether denuclearization was the goal of his putative dialogue with Pyongyang. What this suggests is that Trump is taking a realist stance of being willing to accept North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons as he seeks to arrange a fourth summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.In contrast, the South Korean government maintains that while the initial goal of negotiations is freezing North Korea’s nuclear capabilities at their current level, the ultimate goal remains making the Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons. It’s time for Seoul to bring to bear all its diplomatic resources to ensure its position is accommodated in Washington’s attempt to resume dialogue with Pyongyang.When asked by reporters on Wednesday morning whether he expected to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un within the year, Trump replied, “Yeah, I will be.” He noted that Kim possesses “57 very powerful nuclear weapons,” and that Kim’s “going to be fine” as long as the US has “a smart president.” Providing a specific number appears to be Trump’s way of underscoring that there’s no denying North Korea’s nuclear program. In an event held later that day, Trump was asked whether his goal in reengaging with Kim was still denuclearization, to which he declined to answer, saying, “I don’t want to talk about that.” Since returning to the White House last year, the Trump administration has maintained its official commitment to the “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” (57th ROK-US Security Consultative Meeting Joint Communique), while also referring to the goal of “denucleariz[ing] North Korea” (Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Secures Historic Deals with China). However, Trump himself began to refer to North Korea as a nuclear power from his very first day back in office, and the US Department of Defense deleted all mention of denuclearization in its 2026 National Defense Strategy published in January. This has sparked relentless debate over Washington’s true intentions. If Trump goes for a deal with North Korea that only eliminates possible risks to the US, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles, in exchange for lifting sanctions, it will greatly undermine South Korea’s security and foreclose the dream of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of Kim Jong-un, dismissed the US’ decision to scale back the joint military drills as being “unworthy of comment” on Wednesday, demanding that America’s “hostile” policies toward North Korea be completely scrapped. North Korea then went on to fire around 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea. As the US and North Korea continue to navigate their delicate diplomatic tightrope, South Korea must seize every opportunity to play a more direct role in US-North Korea dialogue by strengthening and deepening communication with Washington.Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
