With rumours swirling of a fourth face-to-face meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un later this month, analysts say it is the North Korean leader who is now dictating the terms.
Buoyed by deepening alliances with Russia and China, and commanding a nuclear arsenal larger than ever before, Kim approaches the prospect of diplomacy with the United States from a position of distinct strength.
The US president – who is expected to visit the Korean peninsula from October 30 for this month’s Apec summit – is reportedly keen to rekindle his high-profile “bromance” with Kim. But analysts caution such a meeting would come at a far steeper price than their previous encounters.
Speculation about another Trump-Kim summit has grown since South Korea’s Unification Ministry suspended civilian access to Panmunjom, the heavily fortified “truce village” in the demilitarised zone where the two last met in 2019, between late October and early November.
The United Nations Command, which administers the southern side of Panmunjom, has declined to comment on whether the suspension is connected to a potential summit.
