Trump-Kim summit unlikely in near future amid N. Korean demands: U.S. experts

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- The prospects of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the near future remain slim, U.S. experts said, citing Pyongyang's demands for a shift in Washington's policy toward the North, including its approach to denuclearization.

Jenny Town, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, and Ankit Panda, a nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, offered their assessments during a podcast discussion hosted by Victor Cha, Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), published Thursday.

Town said the North has made clear that they reject the notion of any kind of denuclearization agenda.

"The question isn't, 'Will North Korea come to the table?' The question is, 'Is the U.S. willing to do those things (change its North Korean policy)?'" she said, referring to North Korea's demands for changes in what it considers Washington's hostile policy.

"I think the prospects of meeting, you know, I think are fairly low," she added, putting the likelihood of a meeting at less than 50 percent.

Panda offered a more pessimistic assessment of the possibility of a summit on the sidelines of next month's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China, putting the chances at below 10 percent.

"I think it's just getting too late," he said, adding, "I think the president's going to be distracted after the midterms, which seems to be the only thing on his mind," while suggesting that Pyongyang was seeking a clear public signal from Trump indicating a change in U.S. policy.

However, Panda said there was still time for a summit before Trump leaves office, suggesting that the president's next State of the Union address could provide an opportunity to publicly outline a new approach toward the North.

Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in engaging with Kim again, citing their "good" personal relationship, fueling speculation about a possible meeting during the president's planned visit to China next month.

The two leaders had three in-person meetings during Trump's first term: the first in Singapore in June 2018, the second in Hanoi in February 2019 and the third at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom.

This AP file photo shows U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un smiling before a summit meeting at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi on February 27, 2019. (Yonhap)

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华盛顿，10月22日（韩联社）——美国专家表示，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普与朝鲜领导人金正恩近期举行峰会的可能性仍然渺茫，理由是平壤要求华盛顿改变对朝政策，包括其在无核化问题上的立场。

史汀生中心高级研究员珍妮·汤恩和卡内基国际和平基金会核政策专家安基特·潘达在战略与国际研究中心（CSIS）韩国事务主席维克多·查主持的播客讨论中发表了他们的评估，该讨论于周四发布。

Town表示，北方方面已明确表示，他们拒绝任何形式的无核化议程。

“问题不是‘朝鲜是否会坐到谈判桌前？’而是‘美国是否愿意做这些事（改变其对朝政策）？’”她说道，指的是朝鲜要求改变其认为华盛顿的敌对政策。

“我认为见面的可能性相当低，”她补充道，认为见面的可能性不到 50%。

Panda对下个月在中国举行的亚太经济合作组织（APEC）峰会期间举行峰会的可能性持更为悲观的态度，认为可能性低于10%。

“我认为现在太晚了，”他说道，“我认为总统在中期选举后会分心，而中期选举似乎是他唯一在想的事情，”同时暗示平壤正在寻求特朗普发出明确的公开信号，表明美国政策的改变。

不过，潘达表示，在特朗普卸任之前仍有时间举行峰会，暗示总统的下一次国情咨文可能会提供一个机会，公开阐述对朝鲜的新方针。

特朗普多次表示有兴趣再次与金正恩接触，并称两人关系“良好”，这引发了人们对特朗普下个月访华期间可能与金正恩会面的猜测。

在特朗普的第一任期内，两位领导人举行了三次面对面会晤：第一次是 2018 年 6 月在新加坡，第二次是 2019 年 2 月在河内，第三次是在朝韩边境的板门店。

这张美联社资料照片显示，2019年2月27日，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普（左）和朝鲜领导人金正恩在河内索菲特传奇大都会酒店举行峰会前面带微笑。（韩联社）

odissy@yna.co.kr (完)

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