North Korea Ignores Trump Summit Bid
Pyongyang has shown little interest in meeting the U.S. president as its nuclear arsenal expands and economic ties with Beijing and Moscow strengthen.
By David Marshall ·
Diplomatic efforts to bring President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un back to the negotiating table have stalled. Four people familiar with discussions among U.S., North Korean, Chinese, and South Korean officials said that Pyongyang has largely dimmed the prospects for a meeting on the sidelines of the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering in China.
Trump had expressed confidence in August that a summit would occur this year. He later softened his stance, telling reporters at the White House earlier this month that he may see Kim. A week later, he suggested uncertainty about the event, stating, "I don't know … I’m not sure that anybody’s asking for a meeting." An Asian diplomat noted that while Pyongyang has not explicitly rejected an invitation, it has provided no substantive response regarding the potential encounter.
The lack of engagement coincides with a significant shift in North Korea's strategic position. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the country's nuclear arsenal has grown from an estimated 10 to 20 warheads to roughly 60 since the two leaders met in 2018. Pyongyang has also developed more sophisticated weapons, including a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile first tested in 2023 that can reach the continental United States.
Economic factors have further reduced Washington's leverage. North Korea is increasingly funding its sanctioned economy through cybertheft. On Thursday, cryptocurrency exchange Binance confirmed a $6.3 billion hack, the largest in cryptocurrency history, which blockchain intelligence firms attributed to North Korean hackers. Additionally, South Korean central bank estimates indicate that North Korea's GDP has grown by more than 3 percent annually since 2023, driven partly by a deepening partnership with Russia and China.
Kim has strengthened ties with Beijing and Moscow in recent months. He attended a military parade with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin in September and hosted leaders from Vietnam, Laos, and Belarus in Pyongyang. Xi visited North Korea in June, his first trip to the country in seven years. A former U.S. intelligence officer, Sydney Seiler, noted that North Korea does not currently need the United States for economic trade or political support.
Tensions with Seoul have also risen. On Thursday, North Korea fired ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast, escalating a dispute over a border mine explosion that injured three South Korean soldiers last month. The country also tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile earlier this month. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to complete denuclearization at a trilateral meeting with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts last month.
A White House spokesperson said the administration has nothing to share regarding the potential summit. The North Korean mission to the United Nations in New York did not respond to requests for comment.
