Prime Minister Kim Minseok: "Trump Asked About Kim Jong Un's Intentions for Dialogue... Instructed Actions on North Korea-U.S. Relations"

Prime Minister Kim Minseok, who is currently visiting the United States, held a one-on-one meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House for about 20 minutes on the 13th (local time). During the meeting, Prime Minister Kim expressed his views on the North Korea issue and proposed specific ideas for improving bilateral relations.

Prime Minister Kim Minseok Meets with President Trump. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

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At a meeting with the Korean press corps held at the Korean Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. on the same day, Prime Minister Kim stated, "President Trump said he maintains a good relationship with Chairman Kim and asked for my opinion on whether Chairman Kim wants to have a dialogue with the United States or with me."

In response, Prime Minister Kim pointed out that North Korea's recent statements have shifted from 'no reason not to meet' to 'no particular reason for our relationship to be bad,' suggesting that this indicates a willingness to normalize relations and that the door to dialogue remains open. Prime Minister Kim also described President Trump as the only leader with the ability to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue and as a 'peacemaker,' to which President Trump reportedly responded positively.

Prime Minister Kim presented President Trump with concrete ideas aimed at resolving the deadlock in U.S.-North Korea relations. According to Prime Minister Kim, President Trump showed great interest in these proposals and immediately instructed his aides to review the suggestions and take appropriate measures regarding North Korea.

Prime Minister Kim said, "It is not appropriate to disclose the specific details of the proposals before the leaders announce them directly," but added that he plans to prepare an English-language memo summarizing his orally delivered assessments and opinions, which will be given to President Trump’s team before his departure.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kim also disclosed the content of his meeting with Jamieson Greer, the representative of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). Prime Minister Kim asked whether the Section 301 investigation under U.S. trade law is targeting Korea specifically, to which Representative Greer clearly replied, "It is being applied universally to several countries and Korea is not being specifically targeted."

Prime Minister Kim further noted that Representative Greer mentioned Korea could be in a more favorable position than other countries, and promised close communication going forward.

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