Jung Se-hyun: Trump Would Meet Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang

Jung Se-hyun, a former Minister of Unification, stated that President Lee Jae-myung should present a phased negotiation plan during the upcoming UN General Assembly to facilitate the resumption of dialogue with North Korea. He emphasized the need for specific exchange conditions linking North Korea's nuclear freeze, the establishment of a liaison office, and partial sanctions relief.

In a keynote speech at a conference titled 'Prospects for the 2026 North Korea-U.S. Summit and the Journey Towards Peace on the Korean Peninsula' held at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Jung said, "President Lee must create a concrete plan to implement the agreements made during the 2018 Singapore North Korea-U.S. summit."

He suggested that the establishment of a North Korea-U.S. liaison office could be contingent upon a nuclear freeze, or that some UN sanctions could be eased in conjunction with the initiation of a nuclear freeze. Jung urged that President Lee should present such negotiation proposals to U.S. President Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly in New York later this month.

Jung also proposed the formation of a multilateral consultative body to discuss a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. He recommended a four-party meeting involving South Korea, North Korea, the U.S., and China at the UN General Assembly, which could later expand to a six-party meeting including Russia and Japan to address issues related to nuclear deterrence and nuclear freeze and reduction.

As for the location of the North Korea-U.S. summit, Jung mentioned Pyongyang. He noted that in the past three meetings, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un traveled abroad, suggesting that this time, it would be necessary for President Trump to visit North Korea.

Jung stated, "If President Trump goes to Pyongyang, Kim would be willing to meet even with weaker concessions," and raised the possibility of a meeting in Pyongyang around mid-October, before the U.S. midterm elections. He did not rule out the possibility of President Trump visiting the Wonsan Kalma tourist area.