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

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

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

He continued, asking why Trump would want a summit, and answering, "Because he needs the photo op. Because he wants to divert attention." He suggested that if Trump suffers a defeat in the November midterm elections, he is likely to look outward rather than deal with Congress domestically, much like previous U.S. presidents who entered the final two years of their second term.

Bolton also 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 visiting Pyongyang is for the publicity effect. That is truly all it is."

Recalling that Trump had referred to North Korea as a "nuclear power," Bolton expressed deep skepticism about whether "we can get anything out of him (Chairman Kim)," while predicting that "North Korea will have meticulously calculated what they can gain from such a summit."

"I think Trump simply came up with this idea (of a U.S.-North Korea summit) out of nowhere," Bolton said, noting, "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 the situation back."

He expressed concern, stating, "Trump has demonstrated 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. It's just two 'friends' talking to each other. I think that is dangerous."

Bolton remarked that he does not know if anyone is advising Trump on the North Korea issue, suspecting that Trump makes unilateral decisions while the White House National Security Council (NSC) has effectively been rendered toothless and advice from aides is entirely absent.

"That is why the risks accompanying a Trump-Kim Jong-un summit are so great. Trump's recent shortening of the annual (South Korea-U.S.) Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise is a case in point," he said, introducing an anecdote from the Singapore summit where Trump shocked his seated aides by impulsively telling Kim Jong-un, who took issue with the joint drills, "I'll just cancel them this year."

Bolton argued that by dispatching troops to Russia's war in Ukraine, North Korea has gained real combat experience and drone warfare capabilities, and based on this, it might attempt limited military provocations against South Korea to test the U.S. will to intervene.

"If we think about the Northern Limit Line, we can imagine actions like (North Korea) simply occupying a few islands beyond that line. They could create a kind of test case to check Trump's resolve. I am deeply concerned about such a scenario," he emphasized.

Addressing President Lee Jae-myung, Bolton advised, "It is not necessarily a bad thing if he does not actively push for a summit with Trump," adding, "He must be careful about what Trump says and does. That is why the risks are high."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
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