[News Analysis] Trump’s remarks about US-North Korea meeting raises hopes for bilateral discussions

Posted on : 2018-03-05 17:36 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
President Moon emphasizes that “the US needs to lower the threshold for dialogue”
President Trump was quoted as saying that North Korean officials had
President Trump was quoted as saying that North Korean officials had "called up" to initiate direct talks

US President Donald Trump’s remark on Mar. 3 that the US and North Korea “will be meeting” coincides with the official announcement of a special delegation to North Korea, which is the first step in South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s attempt to use the spark of inter-Korean dialogue to ignite North Korea-US dialogue. While Trump recently appeared to be raising the threshold for dialogue by insisting on the “right conditions,” this time he spoke of North Korea-US dialogue as if it were a foregone conclusion. Moon is likely to focus on arranging North Korea-US bilateral talks after trying to gauge Trump’s intentions about dialogue.

“A couple days ago they said we would like to talk,” Politico quoted Trump as saying during a mostly light-hearted address at a dinner hosted by the Gridiron Club, a Washington group representing major media organizations, on Mar. 3. “I said, so would we, but you have to de-nuke… So let’s see what happens.”

“Maybe positive things are happening, I hope that’s true,” Trump added. “We will be meeting, and we’ll see if anything positive happens."

Trump followed this by somewhat sarcastically suggested that he is willing to meet personally with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

"I won't rule out direct talks with Kim Jong Un, I just won't. As far as the risk of dealing with a madman is concerned, that’s his problem, not mine," Trump joked

Trump’s remarks were made after the Blue House announced that it would be sending a high ranking delegation to North Korea. The White House did not respond to the US media’s request for an explanation of Trump’s remarks. It was not confirmed whether Trump meant that North Korea had directly communicated with the US or whether he was referring to the remarks about the North’s willingness to talk with the US made by Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of the Korean Workers' Party Central Committee and director of the United Front Department, when he visited South Korea to attend the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

Trump’s remarks appear to reflect more enthusiasm than his statement on Feb. 25 that dialogue could only occur under the “right conditions.” When he said that he told North Korea they “have to de-nuke,” he was apparently referring to the situation at the time. But by suggesting that talks will begin, Trump appears to be boosting the chances of North Korea-US dialogue. When Trump said, “So let’s see what happens,” he may have been thinking about the possibility of Moon’s special delegation to North Korea making some progress in its mediation in Pyongyang.

Ambiguity over Trump’s intentions regarding North Korea

Trump may have been exaggerating when he said he was willing to engage in “direct talks with Kim Jong-un.” The US media noted Trump’s awkward relationship with the press and said that Trump tried to set the mood by making several jokes during his speech. Trump was clearly being tongue-in-cheek when he said that Kim Jong-un would have to face the risk of dealing with a “madman”— a sarcastic reference to Trump himself.

The question of whether Trump is genuinely willing to talk with North Korea will probably be answered after the special delegation to the North returns from its visit to Pyongyang. Shortly after Blue House National Security Office director Chung Eui-yong and National Intelligence Service Director Sun Hoon return home, they are planning to visit the US to brief Trump on the results of their visit.

As Moon emphasized that “the US needs to lower the threshold for dialogue, and North Korea also needs to show its willingness to denuclearize” during his meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong on Feb. 26, the time has come for the special delegation to make headway on Moon’s attempt to arrange North Korea-US dialogue.

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer and Noh Ji-won and Lee Bon-young, staff reporters

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

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