North Korea鈥檚 Kim asks Trump for another meeting in new letter

A combination photo shows US President Donald Trump in New York, US September 21, 2017 and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang, September 4, 2017. (REUTERS)
  • The timing of a second Trump-Kim meeting was unclear

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump received a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un asking for a second meeting and the White House is already looking at scheduling one, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on Monday.
The two leaders have been discussing North Korea鈥檚 nuclear program since their June 12 summit, which has been criticized for being short on concrete details about how and whether Kim is willing to give up on a nuclear weapons program that threatens the United States.
The timing of a second Trump-Kim meeting was unclear. The sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York later this month may provide an opportunity, although Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton said he did not believe Kim would attend.
Trump had told reporters on Friday that a personal letter from Kim was on the way.
鈥淚t was a very warm, very positive letter,鈥� Sanders said at a briefing.
鈥淭he primary purpose of the letter was to request and look to schedule another meeting with the president which we are open to and are already in the process of coordinating that,鈥� she said.
Sanders told reporters the letter exhibited 鈥渁 continued commitment to focus on denuclearization of the peninsula.鈥� She said a military parade in Pyongyang on Sunday was 鈥渁 sign of good faith鈥� because it did not feature any long-range nuclear missiles.
Trump is doing the right thing in trying to set up another meeting with Kim, said Harry Kazianis, director of defense studies from the Center for the National Interest, a think tank in Washington.
鈥淲hen you combine Kim鈥檚 pledge to denuclearize by the end of Trump鈥檚 first term, as well as not displaying any long-range ballistic missiles during the north鈥檚 recent 70th anniversary celebrations, there are reasons for optimism,鈥� he said.