Trump gives a direct phone number to Kim Jong Un

U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly gave his “direct” phone number to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un following their historic summit in Singapore on Tuesday, and he claims he plans to call Kim on Sunday. The way Trump will communicate with Kim is now drawing as much attention as what was on the agenda and achieved.

“I gave him a very direct number,” Trump told reporters at the White House. From the choice of his words, he may have given his personal number to Kim. If it was true, it would run the risk of being tapped. Some observers say a hotline between the two leaders would be placed through a specifically encrypted line connecting the U.S. president’s secretary office to the North Korean leader’s office. However, a diplomatic source points out there may not have been enough time to install an official hotline shortly after the meeting. There is speculation that Trump could contact Kim through a communication channel already established in New York. Others raise the possibility of having another means of communication by transmitting messages instead of talking directly on the phone.

In the meantime, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders and Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, reportedly had a separate meeting and exchanged their phone numbers during the summit in Singapore.


Jin-Woo Shin niceshin@donga.com