A North Korea expert from a U.S. think tank raised the possibility that U.S. President Donald Trump could meet with Kim Jong Un, the Chairperson of North Korea, if he visits South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit at the end of October.
On the 30th (local time), Victor Cha, Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), made this remark during an online seminar discussing the impact of U.S. airstrikes on Iran on North Korea, China, and Russia.
During his first term in office in June 2019, President Trump briefly crossed into North Korean territory while meeting with Chairperson Kim at Panmunjom along the border.
On that day, Cha argued that North Korea's 'complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization (CVID)' has become practically impossible but noted that North Korea and the U.S. could engage in dialogue for their respective security interests.
According to Cha, North Korea may realize the necessity of nuclear weapons and accelerate their development in light of the U.S. airstrikes on Iran, which reportedly involved about 10 bunker buster bombs. However, there is also a possibility that North Korea may come to the negotiation table to avoid similar attacks.
From the U.S. perspective, there is an emerging need to engage in negotiations with North Korea to prevent it from providing weapons to Russia and supporting the reconstruction of uranium enrichment facilities in Iran.
Additionally, Cha pointed out that North Korea's support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, leading to closer ties between the two countries, could negatively impact security not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in other regions, including the Middle East.
Cha predicted, 'As North Korea receives military support from Russia, China's influence over North Korea has weakened,' and added, 'If North Korea reaches out to Iran, a dangerous situation could arise in the Middle East.'