North Korea answers Trump’s meeting offer with cruise missile launch
Pyongyang’s missile launch seen as a subtle rejection of Trump’s proposal for renewed talks amid his South Korea visit.
North Korea, Oct 29 : North Korea has responded to US President Donald Trump’s repeated offers to meet leader Kim Jong un not with words, but with weapons test firing sea to surface strategic cruise missiles in the Yellow Sea on Tuesday. Analysts see the move as a calculated signal of rejection toward Washington’s diplomatic overtures.
According to the state run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the launch involved improved cruise missiles designed for ship-based deployment. The test was conducted just hours before President Trump’s arrival in South Korea for high-level meetings with President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering in Gyeongju.
During his ongoing Asia visit, Trump has repeatedly expressed his willingness to meet Kim which would mark the first face to face interaction between the two leaders in more than six years. Speaking to reporters, Trump referred to North Korea as a “sort of nuclear power,” hinting at potential negotiations over sanctions relief and even suggesting he could extend his trip for the meeting.
Despite these gestures, Pyongyang has maintained silence. North Korean state media made no mention of Trump’s proposal as of Wednesday morning.
Experts believe the timing of the missile test was deliberate. Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said the launch likely “reaffirms Kim’s rejection of Trump’s tenacious meeting offers.”
Observers say North Korea currently has little incentive to re-engage with Washington. Its deepening military cooperation with Russia and revived ties with China have reduced its reliance on the US for diplomatic concessions.
Last month, Kim told a parliamentary session that Pyongyang remains open to dialogue only if Washington drops its denuclearisation demands. However, he firmly ruled out any “quid pro quo negotiations” in exchange for sanctions relief.
Analysts also speculate that Pyongyang could be waiting for a more substantial gesture from the US such as the suspension of joint military exercises with South Korea before considering talks.
While the possibility of a Trump-Kim meeting remains theoretically open, experts say it is increasingly unlikely unless Washington makes a major policy shift before Trump’s departure from the Korean Peninsula.
