Seoul and Washington must coordinate North Korea strategy

"President Donald Trump is open to an exchange of letters with Kim Jong Un,” a White House spokesperson said Thursday. “He would like to see a return to the progress made in Singapore during his first term.”

The comment followed an NK News report that North Korean diplomats in New York had refused to accept a personal letter from Trump to Kim. Meanwhile, in line with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s directive, South Korea has fully suspended loudspeaker broadcasts toward the North. North Korea, in turn, has halted its noise transmissions aimed at the South.

Trump’s letter diplomacy with North Korea is neither new nor unexpected. During his first term, he famously exchanged dozens of “love letters” with Kim. Since beginning his second term, Trump has repeatedly referred to North Korea as a “nuclear power” and remarked in early April, “There is already some communication. Perhaps at some point, we will do something.” Dialogue with Kim remains a card Trump seems ready to play at any time. This time, however, the North declined.

That response was not surprising. Although Trump and Kim met three times, North Korea emerged from those summits with little to show. Its nuclear and missile programs have advanced significantly since then, international sanctions have eroded, and military cooperation with Russia has expanded. Having declared a policy of “maximum confrontation” with the United States, North Korea appears unwilling to reengage unless it gains something concrete in return.

The chances of a positive reaction to South Korea’s overtures are even lower. The Lee administration has banned civilian leaflet campaigns and halted psychological broadcasts aimed at the North. Still, Pyongyang officially designates inter-Korean ties as “hostile” and continues to pursue a policy of total disengagement. It once regarded Seoul as a conduit to Washington, but now appears to consider even that role obsolete.

Against this backdrop, Seoul and Washington are sending signals to Pyongyang without clear coordination. Trump has said, “Getting along with Kim is a huge asset,” while President Lee recently declared, “No matter how costly, peace is better than war.” Both appear to be appealing to Kim in parallel, which risks giving him greater leverage.

Now that a six-month diplomatic lull has ended, it is urgent for South Korea and the United States to align their North Korea strategy. The worst-case scenario would be Washington bypassing Seoul to strike a limited deal with Pyongyang that removes only intercontinental ballistic missiles, leaving South Korea out of the equation.