President Donald Trump is pushing to revive meetings with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, which analysts worry will backfire.
According to reporting by The Wall Street Journal, Trump has been urging his aides to set up a meeting with Kim as soon as this fall. The Journal described the "dramatic diplomatic quest" that analysts and U.S. officials worry could prove harmful if it leads to a bad deal.
"It appeases yet another despotic dictator based on a misperception that a personal relationship will actually achieve U.S. foreign policy objectives," Bruce Klingner, a former senior CIA officer in the Koreas, told The Journal.
Anonymous officials told The Journal that Trump has privately discussed setting up an in-person discussion with Kim. Trump has suggested they meet during his next trip to Asia, which could be in November, when world leaders gather at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Shenzhen, China, officials told The Journal.
Trump sees a one-on-one meeting with Kim as a chance to reopen dialogue with North Korea, but U.S. officials told The Journal they don't expect much progress. The Journal noted that North Korea's nuclear arsenal has grown and become more capable of striking the U.S. since Trump and Kim's previous three summits.
On Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social a picture of himself with Kim from the first administration, writing, "Despite the unfriendly look on this particular picture, there are many where we're smiling." He added, "Kim Jong Un and I get along GREAT!"
Trump has also scaled back drills between the U.S. and South Korean militaries, partly citing his "very good relationship" with Kim. Victor Cha, an expert on North Korea at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told The Journal that the move gives him a chance to gesture toward Kim.
"He's made clear that he wants to meet Kim again," Cha said. "These exercises presented him an opportunity to do something concrete to show Kim he is serious about meeting."
The U.S. doesn't formally recognize North Korea as a nuclear power. According to The Journal, as victory in Iran remains elusive, analysts worry North Korea will have a stronger hand to get Washington to change its mind.
"Ideationally, that's very important for North Korea," Cha said. "They've always wanted the U.S. to give up on denuclearization and just accept them as a nuclear weapons state."
