【By Guan察者网, Yuan Jiaqi】

On the 18th local time, the U.S. cable news network (CNN) cited sources with knowledge of the matter, saying that U.S. government officials had privately discussed plans to arrange a meeting between the U.S. president and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during Trump's visit to Asia. The White House refused to comment.

Trump is expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' informal meeting held in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea, from October 31 to November 1. According to sources with knowledge of the matter, U.S. officials have not yet initiated any substantive logistical planning for such a meeting, and there is currently no communication between the U.S. and North Korea as there was during Trump's first term, leading many to doubt whether the meeting will ultimately take place.

Two sources told CNN that earlier this year, Trump made his first attempt to contact Kim Jong-un, but the letter was rejected by North Korea, resulting in no response. However, Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to meet with the North Korean leader in both public and private settings, and U.S. officials have left room for potential meetings during his Asian trip, believing that the door for dialogue is not completely closed.

On local time July 30, U.S. government officials met with South Korean negotiators at the White House, and their first question was "How is Kim Jong-un recently?" which stunned the South Korean side on the spot.

After all, during Trump's first term, there was a precedent: At that time, after Trump sent a social media post inviting the meeting, the two met in the demilitarized zone on the Korean Peninsula within 48 hours. This case shows that there is a possibility of rapid changes.

According to sources with knowledge of the matter, Trump's interest in meeting with Kim Jong-un after returning to the White House began in August when he hosted South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at the White House. According to an earlier CNN report, during the meeting, Lee invited Trump to attend the APEC meeting and proposed an opportunity for a meeting between the U.S. and North Korean leaders.

Trump was open to this idea. He told Lee that he would consider it, "I will do it, we will have a meeting. He wants to meet me, we look forward to meeting him, which will also promote the development of relations between the two sides." He also mentioned that he hopes to meet with Kim Jong-un this year.

According to a September report by the Korean Central News Agency, Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, said in a speech that if the United States gives up its insistence on denuclearization of North Korea and recognizes reality, he hopes to coexist peacefully with North Korea, and there is no reason for North Korea not to communicate face-to-face with the United States.

In his speech, Kim Jong-un also mentioned that he still has "good memories" of Trump. But he also clearly stated that North Korea will never give up its nuclear weapons.

Regarding the potential meeting between U.S. and North Korean leaders, the South Korean Ministry of Unification responded that there has been no communication between South and North Korea regarding the potential U.S.-North Korea summit.

A South Korean government source also revealed that although the White House security team has visited South Korea twice to inspect the site for Trump's visit, they did not go to the Panmunjom area. This indicates that it is unlikely that the 2019-style U.S.-North Korea summit will be repeated.

The report also said that for the upcoming Asian trip, given the escalating Sino-U.S. trade tensions, the focus of the White House is currently on arranging a meeting between Trump and the Chinese national leader.

The U.S. previously repeatedly emphasized the notion that "the leaders of China and the United States will meet during the APEC." The Chinese side has responded that both sides are "in communication" regarding related issues, and there is currently no information available.

According to a previous report by Yonhap News Agency, on the evening of September 30, when answering the question of "whether the Trump administration intends to dialogue with North Korea without discussing denuclearization," the White House hinted that Trump still wanted to hold a dialogue with Kim Jong-un under conditions without preconditions.

The White House also emphasized that the U.S. policy toward North Korea remains unchanged. However, it is worth noting that the official did not directly mention the U.S. government's existing principle and goal of "denuclearization of North Korea."

At that time, Korean media analyzed that the above statement might be intended to create an atmosphere for U.S.-North Korea dialogue. That is to say, although the Trump administration still adheres to the policy of "denuclearization of North Korea" as the core of its policy toward North Korea, this does not mean that the resumption of dialogue between the two sides is only possible if North Korea agrees to make denuclearization an agenda item for the talks.

In Trump's first term, he held multiple meetings with Kim Jong-un.

On June 12, 2018, Trump and Kim Jong-un held the first meeting between leaders of the two countries in Singapore, discussing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and easing tensions between the two sides.

The second "Kim-Trump Summit" was held in Hanoi, Vietnam, from February 27 to 28, 2019.

On June 30, 2019, Trump met with Kim Jong-un at Panmunjom, and then crossed the military demarcation line, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to set foot on North Korean soil since the signing of the Korean War armistice agreement.

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