Donald Trump open to third summit with Kim Jong-un but none planned, adviser says
- John Bolton says Trump remains confident in his personal relationship with the North Korean leader
US President Donald Trump is open to a third summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un but some time may have to go by before this takes place, Trump’s national security adviser said on Sunday.
Speaking on ABC, John Bolton said the US has no illusions about North Korea’s capabilities, but Trump remains confident in his personal relationship with the North Korean leader.
Bolton’s comments came after two U.S. think tanks and Seoul’s spy agency said last week that North Korea was rebuilding a rocket launch site at Sohae in the west of the country.
There have also been reports from South Korea’s intelligence service of new activity at a factory at Sanumdong near Pyongyang that produced North Korea’s first intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the United States.
Bolton declined to discuss those reports or say whether a new North Korean missile launch would scuttle engagement with the United States. He said, however, that it was a mistake to assume North Korea would “automatically” comply with its obligations.
“The president’s confident in his personal relationship with Kim Jong-un. He’s invested a lot of time in trying to develop that relationship,” Bolton told ABC’s This Week.