Former National Security Advisor Bolton: Trump Will Likely Try to Meet Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang

▲ U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

John Bolton, who served as White House National Security Advisor during the first Donald Trump administration, predicted that President Trump will pursue a summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang.

Speaking on the 1st (local time) during a virtual discussion hosted by the Institute for Corean-American Studies (ICAS) in Washington, D.C., former advisor Bolton said, "Trump became the first American president to meet the North Korean leader in Singapore in 2018, and the first American president to step foot on North Korean soil during the 2019 DMZ meeting. So there is only one step left: for Trump to visit Pyongyang."

He continued, "Why does Trump want a summit? Because he needs the photo opportunity. Because he wants to deflect attention," predicting that if President Trump loses the upcoming midterm elections in November, he is likely to turn his gaze outward rather than deal with Congress domestically, much like past U.S. presidents entering "the final two years of their second term."

He added, "Even in Singapore, Trump suggested to Kim Jong-un, 'Why don't you get on Air Force One with me, and we'll stop by Pyongyang?' The purpose of a visit to Pyongyang would be publicity. That really is all there is to it."

Recalling that President Trump had referred to North Korea as a "nuclear power," Bolton stated, "I am very skeptical that we could get anything out of him (Chairman Kim)," while anticipating that "North Korea would have calculated very meticulously what they could get out of such a summit."

Former advisor Bolton pointed out, "I think Trump suddenly came up with this idea (of a North Korea-U.S. summit) out of nowhere, and it is entirely possible that discussions are currently underway to see if it can be realized. However, a summit that achieves nothing could actually set things backward."

Expressing concern, he said, "Trump has shown for five and a half years that he views international relations through the prism of personal relationships between leaders. He doesn't need the State Department, the Department of Defense, the Treasury Department, or anyone else. He just thinks 'two friends' can talk to each other. I think that is dangerous."

Bolton voiced uncertainty, saying, "I don't know who is advising Trump on North Korea. I'm not even sure if anyone is advising him on North Korea," speculating that the National Security Council (NSC) has practically been rendered defunct and that President Trump makes unilateral decisions in the complete absence of staff advice.

"That is why the risks accompanying a Trump-Kim summit are so great. A recent example is Trump scaling back the annual (South Korea-U.S.) Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise," he said, introducing an anecdote from the Singapore summit where President Trump surprised his attending aides by spontaneously telling Chairman Kim in response to his complaints about the joint drills, "I'll just cancel them this year."

Bolton argued that by dispatching troops to support Russia's war in Ukraine, North Korea has gained combat experience and drone warfare capabilities, which it might leverage to launch limited military provocations against South Korea to test the U.S. willingness to intervene.

He predicted that China could deal a blow to Taiwan's international standing without President Trump's intervention—not by invading or blockading Taiwan proper, but by seizing Kinmen or Taiwan-administered islands in the South China Sea.

Along the same lines, he noted, "If we think about the Northern Limit Line, we can imagine actions such as (North Korea) simply seizing a few islands north of that line, creating a sort of test case to see what Trump's resolve is like. I am very concerned about such a scenario."

Advising President Lee Jae-myung, he stated, "It is not necessarily a bad thing not to aggressively push for a summit with Trump," adding, "You have to be careful about what Trump says and does. That is why the risks are high."

(Photo: Yonhap News)

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