[Anchor]
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has directly stated that he received a response from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un regarding a request for dialogue. Praising the trajectory of the talks as very positive, attention is focusing on the background behind his active push to resume North Korea-U.S. dialogue.
Reporting from Washington, this is correspondent Lee Hanseok.
[Reporter]
When asked by a reporter whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was not responding to requests for dialogue, U.S. President Trump replied as follows:
[Donald Trump / U.S. President: Yes, (Chairman Kim) responded. (What stage is the dialogue in?) It's very positive.]
Although he did not disclose when or with what content the response was made, it suggested that communication between the U.S. and North Korea has taken place.
He then posted on his social media an image depicting Chairman Kim calling him by his first name, "Donald."
To criticism that his directive to significantly scale back South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises prioritizes North Korea over the alliance, he countered that he is making the situation much safer.
[Donald Trump / U.S. President: Chairman Kim didn't like Biden, Obama, or anyone else, but he gets along very well with me. I am making the situation safer.]
Experts in the U.S. analyze that President Trump, with the midterm elections approaching, is seeking a return to leader-to-leader personal diplomacy, which remained an unfinished task of his first term.
They suggest that there is also an underlying intention to divert attention away from the dead-end war with Iran.
However, fierce criticism persists that this will only cement North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons while eroding both deterrence against the North and the trust of allies.
[Christopher Hill / Former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea: Being unpredictable is a different matter from being untrustworthy. This kind of move is ultimately heading in the direction of losing trust (in the United States).]
Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who faced off against Trump in the 2016 presidential election, pointedly remarked, "He is making America friendlier to North Korea and Russia," adding, "Are you kidding me right now?"
Political criticism has also continued, pointing out that "joint exercises with South Korea, a 70-year ally, are being scaled back because South Korea is not helping with an illegal war against Iran."
(Camera Reporter: Oh Jung-shik, Video Editing: Jung Sunghoon)
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