Trump Mentions Kim Jong-un by Name Again After About a Month

Meeting with reporters at the White House on the 29th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump referred to North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un as 'my friend,' saying Kim possesses nuclear capability. It was the first time in about a month, since mid-last month, that Trump had publicly mentioned North Korea. On the 16th of last month, while ordering a reduction in the U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises, Trump said, "Kim Jong-un and I have a very good relationship," and three days later, on the 19th, he noted that North Korea possessed '57 nuclear weapons' and raised the possibility of a summit 'within this year.'

On the 29th, he said, "Presidents other than Trump didn't stop (North Korea's nuclear program). As long as I'm here, he'll be fine," distinguishing his leadership from that of previous administrations. This reflects his view that during his first term, he prevented direct North Korean provocations against the United States through North Korea-U.S. dialogue and other efforts.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service assessed that North Korea is also seeking to seize the opportunity, and estimated the chance of North Korea-U.S. dialogue materializing around the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, this November at roughly 50 percent. Some observers note that Trump's recent remarks about North Korea, which began with his order to reduce the joint exercises on the 16th of last month, carry an implicit intent to encourage South Korean investment in the U.S., increased defense cost sharing, and the Alaska LNG project. Cha Du-hyun, vice president of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said, "It could be seen as a message that investment and other contributions are needed for Korea's agenda to be reflected in North Korea-U.S. talks, even a little."

The South Korean government maintains that it will closely watch Trump's announcements. Since these remarks could affect both the resumption of North Korea-U.S. dialogue and pending issues in the South Korea-U.S. relationship, whether North Korea-U.S. contact materializes around November's APEC summit in Shenzhen remains a key question for the countries concerned to confirm.