Is North Korea’s Kim hinting to Trump on bromance part 4 with less hardline statement?

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s call on the US to scale back its military actions in Northeast Asia has been interpreted by analysts as an easing of his usual bellicose stance and a hint to President Donald Trump on such a precondition for talks to resume between the two leaders. In a statement made during his visit to the defence ministry in Pyongyang on Saturday, Kim criticised the US for its deployment of nuclear strategic assets, joint military exercises, and enhanced cooperation with Japan and South Korea, arguing these actions were creating a “military imbalance” in the region. These moves, Kim warned, were aimed at establishing “a new conflicting structure” and posed a serious challenge to North Korea, according to state media agency KCNA. “The DPRK does not seek unnecessary tension in the region but will take sustained countermeasures to ensure the regional military balance,” Kim added. Kim also reaffirmed North Korea’s commitment to further develop its nuclear capabilities, the KCNA report said. Analysts said the language Kim used was a subtle shift away from his typical harsh rhetoric. In November, for example, the North Korean leader accused the US of fuelling regional tensions and said: “Never before have the warring parties on the Korean peninsula faced such a dangerous and acute confrontation that it could escalate into the most destructive thermonuclear war”. Kim appears to be indicating the agenda he would prioritise if talks were to resume Hong Min, Korea Institute for National Unification’s senior researcher Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), said: “With uncertainty surrounding the approach of Trump’s second administration toward Pyongyang, North Korea is holding back from its typical belligerent tone. Instead, Kim appears to be indicating the agenda he would prioritise if talks were to resume between him and Trump.” Yang Moo-jin, head of the University of North Korean Studies, noted that Kim’s statement was effectively a message to Washington that any future dialogue would require the US to scale back its military drills, strategic nuclear deployments and trilateral defence cooperation with Japan and South Korea. “This is not a typical hardline statement against the US. There is no direct mention of Trump, suggesting that North Korea is keeping the door open for dialogue with his new administration,” Yang said. Hong said that Kim was emphasising that Washington should first de-escalate its nuclear threats before any bilateral discussions on freezing or dismantling Pyongyang’s nuclear programme. “The message is clear: if the US continues its perceived nuclear provocations, North Korea will accelerate its nuclear build-up,” Hong added. During his joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Washington on Friday, Trump described his rapport with Kim as a major asset in negotiations. “I got along with him very well,” Trump said of Kim. “We had a good relationship, and I think it’s a very big asset for everybody that I do get along with him,” he added, claiming that his diplomacy had helped stop a war. Ishiba said at the same press conference that he and Trump affirmed their countries’ commitment to working together toward the “complete denuclearisation of North Korea”. Trump’s recent comments have fuelled speculation about a potential revival of his talks with Kim that he initiated during his first term. Last month, he praised Kim as a “smart guy” in a Fox News interview and suggested he would reach out to him again. The two leaders met thrice during Trump’s first term – in Singapore in 2018, and Vietnam and the Korean demilitarised zone (DMZ) in 2019. During his remarks on Saturday, Kim also reiterated North Korea’s support for Moscow in the Russia-Ukraine war. “The army and people of the DPRK will invariably support and encourage the just cause of the Russian army and people to defend their sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity,” Kim said, emphasising the “comprehensive strategic partnership” between Pyongyang and Moscow. KINU’s Hong said Kim’s remarks could pave the way for North Korea to increase its military aid to Russia, including the possible deployment of additional troops, beyond the estimated 11,000 North Korean soldiers that it had reportedly already sent to assist its ally in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Is North Korea’s Kim hinting to Trump on bromance part 4 with less hardline statement?

Kim Jong-un’s comments on Washington’s regional moves are a hint at a precondition for a fourth summit between him and Trump, analysts say