It was Donald Trump’s first meeting with the new president of South Korea.
A highly unconventional platform for glowing words about the North Korean one.
As he sat across from Lee Jae Myung, Mr Trump said he got along “great” with Kim Jong Un and would like to meet him again “this year”.
He said he would like to help the relationship between the two Koreas.
Call me, beep me, if you want to reach me? Trump and Kim in 2019. Pic: Reuters
Trump meets Lee Jae Myung at the Oval Office on Monday. Pic: Reuters
Curious timing
The US president’s renewed interest in North Korea appears less about policy and more about theatrics.
The historic image of Trump stepping on to North Korean soil in 2019 gave him global headlines.
The timing is curious – North Korea has been busy polishing its nuclear credentials and vowing not to disarm without serious concessions.
In other words, Pyongyang is holding the same cards it held four years ago, only now they’re shinier.
Trump and Kim pose in the Korean demilitarized zone in June 2019. Pic: Reuters
‘Hermit Kingdom’
But since Trump’s first-term meetings with Kim ended, North Korea has shown no interest in returning to talks.
But these attempts at rapprochement come after the election in South Korea of Lee, who has pledged to reopen dialogue with North Korea.
Trump seems eager to revive his image as the only US president bold, or brash, enough to break bread with the ruler of the “Hermit Kingdom”.
Trump is fresh off meeting with Vladimir Putin. Pic: Reuters
Supporters call it visionary diplomacy; critics call it reality TV masquerading as foreign policy.
Either way, Trump clearly sees value in the spectacle.
Whether Kim Jong Un does is another story.