The post comes as Washington continues to signal its willingness to engage with Pyongyang without preconditions….reports Asian Lite News Desk
US President Donald Trump has shared a photograph of his 2019 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom, reiterating that the two leaders “get along great”.
The post came as the White House has repeatedly said Trump remains open to dialogue with Kim without preconditions. However, it remains uncertain whether Pyongyang will respond to such overtures amid its growing economic, diplomatic and military cooperation with Moscow.
“Despite the unfriendly look on this particular picture, there are many where we’re smiling, Kim Jong Un and I get along GREAT!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday, local time.
Trump and Kim held three face-to-face meetings during Trump’s first presidential term. Their first summit took place in Singapore in June 2018, followed by a second meeting in Hanoi in February 2019.
Their third meeting was held at Panmunjom in June 2019 and attracted global attention when Trump briefly crossed the Military Demarcation Line and stepped onto North Korean territory alongside Kim.
The move marked the first time a sitting US president had entered North Korea, according to Yonhap news agency.
The latest post is not the first time Trump has recently highlighted his past engagement with Kim. In June, he shared a photograph from their first meeting in Singapore in 2018, prompting renewed speculation that he could seek to revive his personal diplomacy with the North Korean leader.
Trump’s previous engagement with Kim resulted in several high-profile meetings but failed to produce a lasting agreement over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme and sanctions.
The latest reference to Kim comes against the backdrop of closer ties between North Korea and Russia. Pyongyang has deepened its economic, diplomatic and military cooperation with Moscow, potentially complicating efforts by Washington to bring North Korea back to negotiations.
Analysts have also examined the possibility of renewed summit diplomacy between Trump and Kim.
Victor Cha, Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said in an analysis on Thursday that Kim could seek renewed summitry with Trump, potentially after the US midterm elections this fall.
Cha suggested that Pyongyang could adopt what he described as a “revisionist” approach aimed at cementing its status as a nuclear-armed state.
Trump’s latest message again draws attention to the personal relationship he has previously highlighted with Kim, while Washington continues to leave the door open for direct engagement.
Whether North Korea will respond remains unclear, particularly as Pyongyang’s strategic relationship with Moscow continues to develop and its position on its nuclear programme remains unchanged.
