SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said President Donald Trump could propose a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China in November, with Pyongyang potentially emerging as a venue despite slim prospects for an immediate diplomatic breakthrough.
Speaking at the West Coast Exchange conference hosted by Korea Risk Group in Incheon on Thursday, Biegun said North Korea's restrained response to Trump's repeated signals of interest in talks suggested Pyongyang was “not closing the door” to renewed diplomacy.
Biegun said it “would not be a surprise at all” if Trump proposed a meeting with Kim following the APEC summit, adding that such a meeting could even take place in Pyongyang. Biegun viewed renewed diplomatic engagement as unlikely but cautioned against ruling it out.
The remarks come amid renewed speculation over leader-level diplomacy. Reuters reported last month that Trump was pressing aides to arrange a meeting with Kim as early as this fall and had privately discussed holding one during an Asia trip tied to the APEC summit in Shenzhen. Trump later publicly said he planned to meet Kim this year.
Pyongyang, however, has continued to harden its public stance on its nuclear arsenal. North Korean officials this week reiterated that the country's nuclear status was irreversible and pledged to continue expanding its nuclear deterrent.
Biegun served as Washington's special representative for North Korea during Trump's first term and played a central role in negotiations with Pyongyang before being promoted to deputy secretary of state. He delivered the keynote address at the three-day Korea Risk Group conference, which opened in Incheon on Sept. 17.
AJP Takeaways
- Stephen Biegun says Trump could seek another meeting with Kim after November's APEC summit.
- Biegun says Pyongyang is “not closing the door” to renewed U.S.-North Korea diplomacy.
- A future Trump-Kim meeting could even take place in Pyongyang, according to Biegun.
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