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| ▲ This AFP file photo shows U.S. President Donald Trump (R) shaking hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after signing a joint statement at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. (Yonhap) |
Trump-NK leader
Trump may seek dialogue with N. Korea's Kim, possible 'small deal' on Pyongyang's nuclear program
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump could seek dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after his inauguration and may pursue a "small deal" on the North's nuclear program, South Korea's spy agency said Monday.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) made the assessment during a closed-door briefing to lawmakers amid expectations that Trump, who will take office Jan. 20, is likely to want to repeat his summit diplomacy with Kim.
"There is a possibility that Trump could seek dialogue with Kim as Trump himself views his previous summits with Kim as major achievements during his first administration," the NIS was quoted as saying by lawmakers.
The spy agency saw chances of Trump's engagement with Kim, citing his nomination of former Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell as his presidential envoy for special missions and his selection of Alex Wong, a former North Korea policy official, as a key White House adviser.
Trump met with Kim Jong-un three times during his first administration, including their first summit in Singapore in June 2018 and another one in Hanoi in February 2019. Since the Hanoi summit ended without a deal, denuclearization talks over the North's nuclear programs have been stalled.
"If the United States believes it is difficult to expect North Korea's complete denuclearization in a short period of time, a 'small deal' -- small-scaled negotiations for freezing the North's nuclear programs or nuclear disarmament -- may be possible," the NIS said.
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