VIDEO: Trump seeks another meeting with Kim Jong-un. South Korea shortens joint exercises

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump is showing renewed interest in resuming a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after ordering reduced U.S.-South Korea military drills and claiming Kim had “responded” to his outreach, Hankyoreh’s Kim Won-chul reported Wednesday.

South Korean and U.S. military authorities decided on the 19th to end the ongoing regular joint exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield early after Trump ordered the drills scaled back. Reports emerged on Aug. 18, local time, that a meeting with Kim, chairman of North Korea’s State Affairs Commission, could be pursued as early as November, possibly during an Asia trip that includes the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China.

Analysts see the push as an attempt to find a new diplomatic opening before the November U.S. midterm elections, after Trump has not produced clear results in the Iran war. Victor Cha, the CSIS Korea Chair, said on a CSIS podcast on the 17th that reducing the exercises was “the first concrete action taken to draw Kim Jong-un in,” and also saw an effort to shift attention from Iran.

North Korea has shown signs it is not closed to talks. The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, reported that when Trump sought a meeting during an Asia trip in October last year, North Korea sent behind-the-scenes signals that it was open to a meeting, but the encounter did not happen because of a tight schedule. North Korea has not officially confirmed Trump’s statement that Kim responded, and it continues to criticize U.S.-South Korea exercises.

While meeting with reporters at the White House, Trump was asked if Kim had contacted him about the announcement that the United States was changing its plans for traditional joint exercises between South Korea and the United States. Trump paused, thought for a moment, and replied in the affirmative.

Kim’s geopolitical position has changed since 2018-19, when sanctions relief was urgently needed. North Korea has expanded military and economic cooperation with Russia and strengthened relations with China. Andrew Yeo of the Brookings Institution said on a CSIS podcast on the 17th that “Kim Jong-un has Russia and China, so he has nothing to lose by meeting Trump,” adding that a summit also involves “reputation and status” for Kim.

North Korea’s goals may also differ from past talks. Instead of trading denuclearization for sanctions relief, it may seek to sit across from a U.S. president while retaining nuclear weapons, effectively gaining acknowledgment as a nuclear-armed state, and may seek security concessions such as further drill reductions, a peace treaty or a declaration ending hostile relations. With China and Russia as friendly backers, Kim is unlikely to enter talks without confidence in tangible results; Yeo said Kim has enough reason to meet Trump, but “the question is when is the optimal time for Kim Jong-un.”