US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has dropped hints about possibilities of a third Trump-Kim summit. While interacting with a section of the media, he admitted that the summits did not meet expectations but when the two leaders left Hanoi, Vietnam, they had a “deeper understanding of each other.” President Donald Trump and the North Korean supremo, Kim Jong-un met twice to arrive at a peaceful solution to the unrest in the Korean peninsula.
The first time it was in June 2018 in Singapore, where Kim agreed to denuclearization but the progress was slow. Hence, there was a second summit in Hanoi in February 2019 and it did not even take off. The two leaders left quickly because of major differences. Trump laid emphasis on denuclearization, but Kim’s priority was relief from sanctions. It was an obvious conflict of interest.
New York Post reports on Mike Pompeo’s version. He admits that denuclearization will be a long drawn out process and he reiterated that North Korean leader had promised both him and President Donald Trump that he would denuclearize.
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Moon Jae-in to visit the White House
The failed Hanoi summit was a setback to the peace efforts in the Korean peninsula. Donald Trump said North Korea wanted the United States to eliminate all sanctions imposed on the country and in exchange, it would close down only one of its nuclear facilities. That was not what Trump had in mind so he said - “Sometimes you have to walk.” Reportedly, he decided to cut off the summit after he gave Kim a piece of paper before the talks collapsed.
New York Post goes on to add that Mike Pompeo confirmed the diplomatic channels continue to be active between the two countries in spite of the failed summits. He added that economic sanctions on the North would remain until denuclearization happens.
In this connection, the visit of South Korean President Moon Jae-in to the White House is a significant development. He has always been in favor of normalizing relations with his Northern neighbor and was involved in the previous summits.
Kim Jong-un visits his father’s birthplace
According to Time, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un usually pays a visit to his father’s place of birth before embarking on something important. In November 2013, it was before the execution of his uncle and apparent political rival. Subsequently, in late 2014, it was before he announced his intention to hold a summit with South Korea. Then came another visit after his first summit with Donald Trump in Singapore, followed by one more visit before his third summit with Moon Jae-in.
After the failure of the Hanoi summit, he indicated in mid-March that he would resume his nuclear and missile testing. Anyway, his latest visit was under the guise of an inspection of the region and some observers interpret it to their advantage. They see a third summit in the offing.