U.S. President Donald Trump is set to hold his first summit with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in Washington on August 25. The meeting aims to finalize a trade deal following several months of intense negotiations between the United States and South Korea. Additionally, the summit will tackle security concerns on the Korean Peninsula, particularly regarding North Korea.
Both Trump and Lee have expressed a desire to engage with North Korea; however, Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader of the isolated country, has consistently ignored their overtures. This lack of response complicates efforts for Washington and Seoul to establish a peace agenda during the summit.
Since the unsuccessful negotiations in 2019, particularly during the Hanoi summit, Kim has ceased communication with Trump. At that time, Kim requested that Trump remove North Korea from the list of rogue states, a request that Trump did not agree to. Ever since, Kim acts as if he has lost faith in diplomacy, consistently rejecting the idea of renewed negotiations.
Kim also disregards Lee, viewing him as a continuation of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, despite the bitter rivalry between the two South Korean leaders. Kim despised Yoon, who had adopted an aggressive foreign policy toward Pyongyang. Before Yoon took office in 2022, the idea of peaceful unification between the two Koreas may have resonated with Kim. Pyongyang has repeatedly made clear that is no longer the case.
In November 2023, Kim declared South Korea his number one enemy, marking a significant policy shift. This change was prompted by Yoon’s emphasis on the possibility of a preemptive strike against North Korea’s nuclear and missile infrastructure if a threat was perceived. Additionally, Yoon’s decision to suspend South Korea’s participation in the Comprehensive Military Agreement for peace has further heightened tensions between the two Koreas.
Following Yoon’s impeachment and Lee’s assumption of the presidency in June 2025, the new administration reversed Yoon’s hostile policies and sought to initiate dialogue with Kim. Despite these efforts, Kim has yet to respond positively to Lee’s outreach.
Given the bleak political landscape, should Trump and Lee seize the opportunity of their summit meeting to exchange ideas on how to encourage Kim to engage in peace talks? I argue that they should develop creative strategies, as I have observed a potential silver lining in Kim’s recent actions toward the South.
While Kim is using more pugnacious rhetoric than ever, he has made some strategic moves that suggest a possible path to reconciliation.
For instance, seven days after his inauguration last June, Lee made a notable peace gesture by ordering his soldiers at the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas to cease the disruptive use of propaganda speakers against the North. Lee requested that Kim do the same with North Korean loudspeakers. Although Kim did not respond then, North Korea eventually began dismantling its loudspeakers in early August.
In early July, Lee released six North Korean fishermen who had drifted into South Korean waters due to a problem with their ship. After the men expressed their desire to return home, Seoul attempted to communicate with Pyongyang multiple times but received no response. As a last resort, Lee’s government unilaterally announced the fishermen would be released near North Korean territorial waters. The North Korean authorities had remained silent throughout, but they eventually showed up to take their citizens without causing any trouble.
These examples suggest that while Kim may still be frustrated and unwilling to interact with Seoul, he could soften his aggressive stance if it aligns with his interests. Despite his harsh words, he still seems interested in reciprocating if the South demonstrates goodwill first.
At the upcoming summit, Trump should leverage the support of South Korea’s left-leaning president to reach out to Kim on behalf of the United States. Recall that during his first term, Trump held three summit meetings with Kim, facilitated by former President Moon Jae-in, another liberal president.
One possible approach to rekindling Kim’s interest in dialogue would be to allow South Korea to provide economic incentives to North Korea.
Kim has been advocating for a policy called “byungjin,” which focuses on the simultaneous development of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and its national economy. While he has made significant progress on the nuclear front, Kim has struggled with economic growth due to a lack of funding and raw materials.
Recently, Kim has promoted a five-year economic development strategy. Although the plan concludes this year, he has yet to produce tangible outcomes and is actively seeking funding sources.
Reopening and expanding the Kaesong Industrial Zone (KIZ) could be a promising path forward. The KIZ was a special administrative region in North Korea that operated from 2002 to 2016, employing North Korean laborers for South Korean companies that produced manufactured goods. The KIZ gave Kim access to significant financial resources, as his workers were paid in U.S. dollars.
With Washington’s support, the KIZ was established by former progressive South Korean President Kim Dae-jung to promote reconciliation and peace through economic cooperation on the Korean Peninsula. However, in response to Kim Jong-un’s military provocations, such as a hydrogen bomb test, conservative President Park Geun-hye unilaterally shut down the KIZ in 2016.
Reopening the KIZ would not incur any costs for Trump, as Lee and his unification minister are eager to assist the North using their resources. If Kim desires additional support, Seoul may propose creating a special economic zone in Pyongyang, the North’s capital, or Sinuiju, a city bordering Dandong in Liaoning, China.
Kim will likely value such economic opportunities that could generate revenue to alleviate food shortages and improve the national economy. When Lee offers these economic benefits to Kim, he should emphasize that further engagement with the United States – the world’s largest economy based on nominal GDP 00 could be advantageous for Kim.
Once Kim feels more optimistic about his country’s economic situation – thanks to assistance from Seoul and approval from Washington – Trump may be able to resume talks with him.
At these talks, Trump should avoid discussing the denuclearization of North Korea, as Kim has repeatedly referred to it as “non-negotiable.” Instead, Trump should address more pressing security concerns that align with U.S. interests.
For example, he should focus on halting North Korea’s development of intercontinental ballistic missiles, which can reach Washington, D.C., in approximately 30 minutes. Most importantly, Trump should focus on reducing security threats from Kim’s submarine-launched ballistic and cruise missiles, which are particularly challenging to detect before they can target major U.S. cities.