According to Yonhap, US President Donald Trump posted three photos of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on his own social media platform 'Truth Social' on August 24, once again signaling the restart of North American dialogue.
Trump and Kim Jong Un had a total of three public meetings between 2018 and 2019.
In the photos released by Trump, the first photo is suspected to be from the first meeting between North and South Korean leaders in Singapore in June 2018. The other two photos are either taken during the meeting between North and South Korean leaders in Panmunjom in June 2019.
According to a report by Yonhap, this is a continuation of Trump's earlier instructions to significantly reduce the scale of joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States, as a sign of easing tensions towards Kim Jong-un. When North Korea failed to respond to Trump's proposal for dialogue, Trump used the photo with Kim Jong-un to remind Kim of the good relationship between the two, and to urge him to participate in the dialogue.
It is worth noting that Trump did not upload any photos from the second North-South summit held in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February 2019. During the talks in Hanoi, North and South Korea failed to bridge their differences regarding denuclearization measures and the extent of lifting sanctions against North Korea, and ultimately no agreement was reached.
According to ‘Korean National Daily’, despite Trump’s repeated gestures of goodwill, North Korea still launched several ballistic missiles into the eastern seas of the Korean Peninsula last week. Trump has indicated his intention to meet with Kim Jong-un within this year, but whether such a summit can actually take place remains uncertain.
On August 17 local time, Trump stated in a response to media questions at the White House that Kim Jong-un had responded to his request for dialogue, but did not disclose any specific details. On the 19th, Trump also said that he expects to meet with North Korea’s supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, later this year.
According to sources from US officials, Trump has urged his advisors to arrange a meeting with Kim Jong-un, with the earliest possible date being this fall. During private discussions, Trump has also considered holding a face-to-face conversation with Kim Jong-un during his next visit to Asia.
The White House has not immediately confirmed Trump’s plans for a meeting with Kim Jong-un. It is expected that Trump will travel to Asia in mid-November to attend the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting held in Shenzhen.
According to the North Korean Central News Agency on the 19th, Kim Jong-pil, a minister of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, said that he 'has no information' regarding reports from Washington about recent communications between North Korean and American leaders. As for the sudden announcement by the US president earlier this week to reduce the scale of joint military exercises between the US and South Korea, the North Korean side believes that it 'is not worth commenting on, nor does it interest us at all'.
