A recent high-level North Korean defector said Pyongyang would be interested in talks with former-US President Donald Trump if he wins the November election. During his first term, Trump engaged Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un in negotiations that nearly secured major agreement. 

Senior North Korean diplomat Ri Il Gyum, who recently defected to South Korea, said he believes Kim would be willing to restart talks with Trump if he retakes the Oval Office. 

Ri assesses that the negotiations could be more successful during Trump’s second term because Kim would take a different approach. “Kim Jong Un doesn’t know much about international relations and diplomacy, or how to make strategic judgment,” he said. “This time, the foreign ministry would definitely gain power and take charge, and it won’t be so easy for Trump to tie North Korea’s hands and feet again for four years without giving anything.”

Trump’s foreign policy team will also likely have a major impact on the chances of success in negotiations. During the first round of talks between Trump and Kim, the two inked a deal that started to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula. 

However, during the second summit in Hanoi, Trump succumbed to the arguments from uber-hawk John Bolton and presented Kim with an unworkable proposal, scuttling talks. 

Ri believes Kim feels better positioned now than he did during the previous Trump administration. President Joe Biden has attempted to isolate Russia,policy incentivising Moscow to increase ties with Pyongyang. Ri says Kim no longer needs sanctions relief because of the boosted DPRK-Russia ties.