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U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking another meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year, but Pyongyang’s guarded response suggests renewed diplomacy could depend on major changes in U.S. policy toward North Korea.
Trump said Wednesday that he expects to meet Kim again, days after scaling back joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises that he described as “hostile” to Pyongyang. Washington has reiterated that it remains open to talks without preconditions.
However, North Korea has shown little sign that reducing the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises is enough to restart negotiations. Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s influential sister, said the drills remain provocative and warned Washington against presenting the changes as a goodwill gesture.
North Korea also launched about 10 ballistic missiles off its east coast on Thursday, according to South Korea’s military. Analysts viewed the launches as a possible protest against the continuing U.S.-South Korea exercises.
Despite describing Trump and Kim’s personal relationship as “excellent,” Pyongyang has emphasized that personal ties will not override its security priorities. Analysts say North Korea could demand significant concessions before agreeing to another Trump-Kim summit.
Potential conditions include reducing policies Pyongyang considers hostile and accepting North Korea’s nuclear status, or at least abandoning denuclearization as Washington’s central objective. The U.S. State Department, however, says it remains committed to the complete denuclearization of North Korea.
Trump and Kim held historic summits in 2018 and 2019, but negotiations collapsed over disagreements surrounding North Korea’s nuclear weapons and sanctions relief.
Kim may also have less incentive to return quickly to negotiations than during Trump’s first term. North Korea has strengthened economic and military relations with Russia and China, reducing its dependence on potential U.S. sanctions relief.
Still, analysts say Pyongyang has not completely closed the door to diplomacy. Its statements appear designed to pressure Trump toward a more accommodating position while preserving the possibility of future U.S.-North Korea talks.
With Trump potentially attending the APEC summit in Shenzhen later this year, another meeting could emerge if both sides find enough common ground.
