According to a report by the Hankook Ilbo on September 2nd, the National Intelligence Service of South Korea analyzed that the North-South summit is ‘possible at any time’. The agency reported to Congress that there are ‘signs of dialogue’ between North and South Korea.
South Korean National Assembly Intelligence Committee Chair Im Kyeong-yoon said at a press conference after the meeting that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported to the intelligence committee on the same day, "About summit talks between South Korea and the United States, it is highly possible they may take place at any time. Although no specific contact has been confirmed between South Korea and the US, there are signs of dialogue."
The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement on the same day, stating that South Korea and the United States have always expressed their willingness to engage with North Korea and have maintained close communication and cooperation in the overall policy towards North Korea, including efforts to resume dialogue.
While the National Intelligence Agency in South Korea conducted this analysis, Trump was actively promoting the resumption of dialogue between North Korea and the United States. On August 24th, he released three photos of Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea. Earlier this month, Trump also instructed a significant reduction in the scale of joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States, as a sign of easing tensions.
However, the North Korean side reacted indifferently to this. Kim Kyung-wha, a minister of the Central Committee of the Korean Workers’ Party, said earlier that she had ‘no information’ regarding reports of recent communications between Washington and North Korea’s leaders. As for the sudden announcement by the U.S. President to reduce the scale of joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea, the North Korean side believes that it ‘is not worth commenting on, and they have no interest in discussing it.’
On August 31, a spokesman for the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the United States has increasingly shown a confrontational stance towards North Korea, and the hostile policy of the Trump administration toward North Korea has remained unchanged.
