Trump considers a follow-up summit with Kim at Mar-a-Lago resort

Dubbed the “Winter White House” by U.S. President Donald Trump, the Mar-a-Lago resort is emerging as a venue for a follow-up summit between the United States and North Korea after their rendezvous in Singapore.

On Wednesday (local time), Bloomberg News reported that President Donald Trump is reportedly considering his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for a follow-up summit after their scheduled meeting in Singapore. Experts predict that if the first summit goes well, a second meeting could take place in the autumn, and Mr. Trump is considering inviting the North Korean leader to his home ground.

Last year, President Trump had summit meetings with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Mar-a-Lago. Given the apparent pressure that Kim Jong Un is feeling about leaving Pyongyang as evidenced in his recent visit to Beijing, however, pundits say that Kim won’t likely take the invitation. The news outlet additionally reported that the young despot from North Korea is much worried about the possibility of assassination attempts during his stay in Singapore.

As to the prospect of the summit in Singapore, Bloomberg News reported that the White House wants North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to commit to a timetable to surrender his nuclear arsenal when he meets President Trump next week in Singapore, adding, President Trump has been “advised not to offer any concessions” to the North Korean leader. It predicted that the summit could last as long as two days, but it could also end just in a few minutes.

“There could be more than one meeting, more than one conversation,” White House counselor Kellyanne Conway told reporters Wednesday, adding a nuclear deal may take “2, 3, 4, 5” meetings.


Jeong-Hun Park sunshade@donga.com