Trump and Kim Jong-un: President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un meeting and greeting each other in the northern territory of the Panmunjom Military Demarcation Line in June 2019, before moving to the southern side. Yonhap News.  

The White House stated on the 30th (local time) that U.S. President Donald Trump remains willing to engage in talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un without any preconditions.

In response to an inquiry from Yonhap News regarding whether "the Trump administration is open to talks with North Korea without referencing the nuclear issue (as recently suggested by Chairman Kim)," a White House official replied, "President Trump remains open to engaging with Kim Jong-un without any preconditions."

The official noted, "During his first term, President Trump held three historic summits with Kim Jong-un to stabilize the Korean Peninsula."

Previously, President Trump and Chairman Kim met three times: in Singapore in June 2018, in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February 2019, and at Panmunjom in June 2019. The final meeting in Panmunjom was a trilateral gathering that also included then-President Moon Jae-in.

The White House official also stated, "U.S. policy toward North Korea remains unchanged."

This suggests that there has been no change in the U.S. government's existing principle and goal of achieving the complete denuclearization of North Korea.

However, the fact that the term "denuclearization of North Korea" was not explicitly mentioned can be interpreted as a move to consider the atmosphere for North Korea-U.S. dialogue.

In other words, while the Trump administration maintains a North Korea policy that prioritizes denuclearization, it can be interpreted that North Korea's agreement to make denuclearization the primary agenda item is not a mandatory prerequisite for holding a North Korea-U.S. summit.

This stance appears to be a response formulated by the Trump administration after careful consideration of Chairman Kim's recent remarks regarding his "willingness for North Korea-U.S. summits on the condition of abandoning denuclearization."

According to North Korean state media, Chairman Kim stated at the 13th session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly on the 21st, "Personally, I have good memories of current U.S. President Trump." He added, "If the U.S. discards its absurd obsession with denuclearization and wishes for genuine peaceful coexistence with us based on the recognition of reality, there is no reason why we cannot stand face-to-face with the U.S."

This can be interpreted as a "counter-proposal" of "talks without preconditions," while indirectly implying a "continued stance on denuclearization" in response to North Korea's offer, which was predicated on the "abandonment of denuclearization."

Consequently, interest is expected to grow regarding the possibility of a meeting between President Trump and Chairman Kim during the President's scheduled visit to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju late next month.

Given President Trump's tendency to eschew conventional diplomatic protocol while emphasizing his personal rapport with Chairman Kim, anything could happen during his visit to South Korea.

Domestic and international experts on the Korean Peninsula and North Korean affairs have previously speculated that a North Korea-U.S. summit could potentially take place on the sidelines of the APEC summit.

Yonhap News