Professor Alexandre Mansourov presents his outlook on the 7th (local time). / Captured from Washington Brief video.

A U.S. national security expert has suggested that U.S. President Donald Trump might skip the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and hold a surprise meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un in Guam, a U.S. territory.

Alexandre Mansourov, a professor at Georgetown University's Center for Security Studies (CSS), stated this possibility on the 7th (local time) while participating as a panelist in "Washington Brief," a monthly online forum hosted by the U.S. conservative media outlet, The Washington Times Foundation. He said, "We cannot rule out the possibility of President Trump meeting Kim Jong Un."

He added, "(The two countries) have the capability to arrange such a surprise meeting without issue. President Trump's decision to skip the APEC Summit, scheduled for October 31st and November 1st, and instead make a brief stop in South Korea two days prior to the summit to meet Xi Jinping, sends me a signal and suggests something."

Mansourov further maintained his outlook, stating, "At least as of today, the possibility of President Trump visiting the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to meet Kim Jong Un is very low, but there is a possibility of President Trump and Kim Jong Un meeting in the South or the North."

He then proposed, "They could also meet in a third location such as Guam or the Wonsan-Kalma resort in North Korea, which has recently gained notoriety. Especially since President Trump has consistently expressed his desire for direct dialogue with Kim Jong Un, the possibility still exists," he added.

Joseph DeTrani (top left), former Director of the National Center for Nonproliferation Studies under the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and Michael Jenkins (bottom), President of The Washington Times Foundation and former U.S. State Department diplomat, listen intently to Professor Mansourov's remarks.

The Washington Times, which covered this forum in its October 8th edition, cited Mansourov's earlier statement that "the relationship between the two, which became closer during the Trump administration's first term, would have paid dividends in future negotiations," further supporting the possibility of a summit. However, the newspaper also emphasized that many experts consider the likelihood of such a meeting to be low.

Mansourov did not provide specific details on why he identified "Guam" as a potential third location during the forum. However, he remained reticent about the schedule mentioning a meeting with Xi Jinping two days before APEC after skipping the summit, saying, "We can discuss the reasons later." While it is known that Kim Jong Un avoids air travel due to a fear of heights, there are counterarguments that his fear of heights has not been confirmed.

Kim Jong Un traveled by train for 65 hours from Pyongyang to Hanoi during the second U.S.-North Korea summit held in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2019.

The session was moderated by Joe DeTrani, former Director of the National Center for Nonproliferation Studies under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), who previously served as a CIA official. As the special envoy for Six-Party Talks during the George W. Bush administration, he asked Mansourov for his opinion, stating, "The United States has maintained a consistent stance of not recognizing North Korea as a nuclear-armed state, but that doesn't mean the U.S. cannot hold another summit with North Korea, does it?"

Meanwhile, according to South Korean diplomatic sources, President Trump's visit to South Korea is expected to be a one-day or two-day trip. There are also reports from diplomatic circles that President Trump is considering an itinerary that would have him depart immediately after his summit with Xi Jinping.

Link to the 54th episode of Washington Brief on YouTube