WASHINGTON, 28 NOV – The President-elect of the United States (US), Donald Trump wants to meet with the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un to ease tensions in Korea. However, Kim cast doubt on the possibility of the meeting taking place, according to reports United Press International (UPI).
Trump and Kim previously exchanged friendly letters, but Kim ignored President Joe Biden throughout the Biden administration.
Some Trump advisers argue the president-elect has a better chance of holding meaningful talks with Kim after taking office in January.
Randall Schriver, a former senior defense adviser to Trump, at an event at the Hudson Institute however said there was no timeline set for possible talks between Trump and Kim. Trump believes the two leaders are close to finalizing an agreement that could ensure peace in Korea during his first term as president.
Trump and Kim met in 2018 in Singapore in the first meeting between the leaders of the United States and North Korea. They met again the following year in Hanoi, Vietnam, and in the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea, but failed to lay the groundwork for a peace treaty.
North Korea continues to develop long-range missile technology that may one day allow it to target South Korea, Japan and the US with nuclear warheads if it becomes a nuclear state.
Kim said he saw no reason to meet with Trump, adding that the US has an “unchanging aggressive and hostile policy” towards North Korea.
UPI reported Kim last Friday as saying he would continue to develop nuclear technology and missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads against North Korean enemies.
“The US, Japan and South Korea will not escape responsibility as masterminds who destroy the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the region,” Kim told North Korean military leaders.
“The most important and critical task for our armed forces is to prepare for war,” he added.
North Korea has launched 45 missile tests this year, including an intercontinental ballistic missile that was launched on October 31 and reached a range of 997 kilometers. – Named
