Trump Should Meet South Korean President Before Kim Jong-un, Says Close Aide

U.S. President Donald Trump should meet with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung before sitting down with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and must work in close cooperation with South Korea, a close aide to President Trump has suggested.

Fred Fleitz, Vice Chair of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), a U.S. conservative think tank, published an article on August 21 local time in the U.S. conservative media outlet American Greatness titled "5 Things Trump Must Do Before Meeting Kim Jong-un Again."

Fleitz is categorized as part of President Trump’s inner circle, having served as chief of staff to the White House national security advisor during Trump's first term.

In the article, Fleitz argued that "President Trump should meet with President Lee Jae-myung (before meeting Chairman Kim), ideally with a visit to Seoul."

He continued, "A presidential visit to South Korea would strongly convey a commitment to the ROK-U.S. alliance and a determination to resume face-to-face diplomacy with Kim Jong-un, efforts that are reportedly being pushed for this fall," adding, "Trump could reinforce his message through another major speech at the South Korean National Assembly, just as he did in 2018."

Fleitz also proposed, "Secretary of State Marco Rubio should be immediately dispatched to Seoul to translate this fall's momentum into a concrete summit."

He went on to cite the Lee Jae-myung administration's stronger-than-expected cooperation in trade and security as examples, including South Korea's 7.5 percent increase in defense spending this year, an additional $1 billion support for U.S. forces in Korea, a massive shipbuilding cooperation agreement between the U.S. and South Korea to expand U.S. Navy capabilities, and prospects for large contract awards to U.S. companies related to South Korea's first nuclear-powered submarine and civilian nuclear power programs.

He also noted, "Unlike some European allies, South Korea has not tried to undermine U.S. efforts in the war with Iran by denying access to critical bases or publicly criticizing President Trump's Iran policy."

Fleitz then suggested, "Secretary Rubio should evaluate this track record and work with Seoul to finalize the details of a Trump-Kim summit, whether it is held alone or on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China in November."

He further added, assessing President Trump's directive to significantly scale back annual ROK-U.S. joint military exercises as "a small price to pay if it can bring Kim Jong-un to talks," that "Secretary Rubio must ensure this concession is closely coordinated with South Korea and does not go beyond what is necessary to draw Kim to the negotiating table."

Calling for the appointment of a special envoy to North Korea to "facilitate peace talks and work to advance North Korea's denuclearization," Fleitz recommended "State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael DeSombre, who has rich experience in the Asia-Pacific region and a clear America First orientation."

Fleitz also stated, "South Korea is part of a security alliance network that President Trump must leverage to counter growing threats from China, Russia, and North Korea in the Indo-Pacific region," calling for strengthened trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, as well as consultations with other regional countries such as Australia, India, the Philippines, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.

Additionally, he cited "bureaucratic inertia in the U.S., particularly within the Department of Energy, and congressional hesitation" as the causes for the delay in expanding South Korea's authority for civilian uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing, which were agreed upon by the leaders of South Korea and the U.S. last year.

Fleitz advised instructing responsible cabinet secretaries to be dispatched to South Korea to remove remaining obstacles in ROK-U.S. trade and energy agreements.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.