Trump Says Kim Jong-un Responded... What's Behind the Push for US-North Korea Talks?

[Anchor]

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. He even praised the trajectory of the talks as very positive. Attention is now focused on the background behind his proactive moves to resume U.S.-North Korea dialogue.

Reporting from Washington, here is correspondent Lee Hanseok.

[Reporter]

When a reporter asked whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was unresponsive to calls for dialogue, U.S. President Trump replied as follows:

[Donald Trump / U.S. President: Yes, (Kim Jong-un) responded. (What stage is the dialogue in?) It's very positive.]

While he did not disclose when or with what content the response was made, it signaled that communication has taken place between the U.S. and North Korea.

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 diplomacy, an unfinished task from his first term.

They suggest there is also an intention to divert attention away from the no-exit war with Iran.

However, fierce criticism follows that this will only normalize North Korea's nuclear possession while eroding deterrence against the North and trust from allies.

[Christopher Hill / Former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea: Being unpredictable is one thing, but being untrustworthy is quite another. This kind of move ultimately leads to a loss of trust (in the U.S.).]

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who faced off against Trump in the 2016 presidential election, pointedly remarked, "He is making America more accommodating to North Korea and Russia," adding, "Are you kidding me right now?"

Political criticism has also poured in, stating, "He is scaling back joint exercises with South Korea, a 70-year ally, just because they are not helping with an illegal war against Iran."

(Video Reported by Oh Jung-shik | Video Edited by Jung Sunghoon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.