A familiar diplomatic channel could reopen this autumn, but expectations remain low after three earlier meetings failed to produce a nuclear breakthrough.
U.S. President Donald Trump has instructed his aides to consider the possibility of holding a face-to-face meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in late autumn. He hopes to restore direct contacts with Pyongyang and try to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear program.
Trump discussed the prospects of talks with Kim as part of a trip to Asia planned for November. During that period, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit is expected to take place in Shenzhen, China.
Preparations for U.S.-North Korea Talks
At that time, no official steps had been taken to prepare a meeting between the leaders of the United States and North Korea. The White House said that the talks could take place at an appropriate time.
The potential meeting is being viewed as an opportunity to resume dialogue on North Korea’s nuclear program. At the same time, experts and some U.S. officials do not expect such talks to produce significant results.
Previous Meetings Between Trump and Kim Jong Un
During his first presidency, Donald Trump met with Kim Jong Un three times. The first U.S.-North Korea summit took place in Singapore in June 2018.
The second meeting was held in Hanoi in February 2019, but ended prematurely without any documents being signed. In June of the same year, Trump and Kim Jong Un also met spontaneously in the Demilitarized Zone between South and North Korea.
None of the previous meetings produced a breakthrough on the issue of Pyongyang abandoning its nuclear program.