Seoul: U.S. President Donald Trump may support South Korea’s new initiative to engage with North Korea and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula as it would be viewed as part of the overall effort to bring Pyongyang back to dialogue, a prominent U.S. expert said Friday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, during an online press briefing, Victor Cha, president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, made the comment on the “END” initiative to foster peace through “exchange,” “normalization,” and “denuclearization.”

Cha mentioned that Trump would likely not have a problem supporting the END initiative because it aligns with efforts to bring North Korea back to the negotiation table. This statement was made in the context of Trump’s upcoming visit to Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled for October 31 and November 1.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung unveiled the initiative during a speech at the
U.N. General Assembly in New York, as his administration seeks to resume inter-Korean engagement to reduce tensions and improve cross-border relations.

The initiative was introduced as Trump expressed his willingness to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this year. President Lee supported this by pledging to help Trump play a role as a “peacemaker” during their bilateral summit at the White House in August.

Regarding the possibility of Trump meeting Kim during his visit to Korea, Cha did not dismiss it, citing reports that North Koreans have started cleaning up a border area, which is often a precursor to a meeting.

Speculation continues that Trump will seek to resume personal diplomacy with Kim during his visit, as the White House has stated that he remains open to talks with the North Korean leader “without any preconditions.”

During Trump’s first term, he held three in-person meetings with Kim – the first in Singapore in June 2018, the second in Hanoi in February, and the third at the inter-Kore
an border village of Panmunjom in June 2019.

When asked if the upcoming summit between Lee and Trump could proceed amicably, Cha noted ongoing efforts by Seoul and Washington to bridge differences over Korea’s $350 billion investment pledge under a trade deal struck in July.

Cha stated that if an agreement is reached by the time Trump visits Korea, the meeting will likely go well. However, even without an agreement, both parties are expected to maintain a positive front.

The framework trade deal reached in late July involves Seoul’s commitment to investing $350 billion in the U.S. in exchange for Washington agreeing to lower its tariff on South Korean autos. However, the deal has yet to be implemented due to ongoing negotiations over funding the investment package.