[Anchor]
Despite U.S. President Donald Trump's active overtures, North Korea is maintaining its silence for now. Compared to when the North Korea-U.S. summits took place in the past, circumstances in North Korea have changed significantly. If a summit is realized, Shenzhen, China, where the APEC summit will be held in November, is being discussed as a potential venue.
Reporter Kim Ayeong has the details.
[Reporter]
In a commentary by the Korean Central News Agency today (August 19), North Korea fiercely criticized the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises while ignoring the fact that the drills were scaled back.
Although U.S. President Trump stated that North Korea responded to his dialogue offer, North Korea has effectively maintained its strategic silence.
Kim Jong-un's recently revealed stance on the conditions for North Korea-U.S. dialogue remains around his remarks from last February, when he called for "respect for North Korea's state status" and "withdrawal of the hostile policy toward North Korea."
Compared to 2018 during Trump's first term, when the first North Korea-U.S. summit was achieved, North Korea's conditions have changed drastically.
Having solidified its backing from blood allies through close alignment with Russia and China, North Korea has openly maintained its stance of refusing dialogue itself if denuclearization is put on the agenda.
[Kim Sang-bum / Research Professor, Center for North Korean Studies, Institute for Far Eastern Studies, Kyungnam University: With nuclear capabilities further advanced and institutionalized, and receiving economic and military support in return for participating in the Russia-Ukraine war, the motivation (to talk with the U.S.) has dropped compared to 2018 and 2019.]
President Trump called North Korea "sort of a nuclear weapons state" in October of last year,
[Trump / U.S. President (October 25 of last year): I think North Korea is sort of a nuclear weapons state. We know how many weapons they have.]
and this time, he has even pulled out the card of scaling back South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises, clearly pouring effort into overtures through both words and actions.
If a summit is realized by overcoming various variables, possibilities being examined include Shenzhen, China, on the occasion of President Trump's attendance at the APEC summit, or Singapore, where the first North Korea-U.S. summit was held.
The government has begun working to figure out the status of North Korea-U.S. contacts.
[Cho Hyun / Minister of Foreign Affairs: I think this is a transition into a new phase. We have already made inquiries regarding the current status of (specific) contact between the U.S. and North Korea.]
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun reportedly met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi today and asked for China's constructive role regarding the Korean Peninsula issue.
(Photo courtesy of Yonhap News) (Video by Cho Choon-dong | Video editing by Jang Hyun-ki)
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