U.S. President Donald Trump has once again signaled a desire to resume dialogue by sharing past photos with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on August 24 (local time). President Trump posted three photos with Chairman Kim consecutively on Truth Social. The first photo appears to have been taken during the first North Korea-U.S. summit in Singapore in June 2018. The remaining two are estimated to be from their meeting at Panmunjom in June 2019. Trump’s repeated release of past photos with Kim is interpreted as a move urging North Korea to resume talks, following the recent reduction of South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises. Notably, the released photos did not include any from the second North Korea-U.S. summit held in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February 2019, which ended without an agreement due to differences over denuclearization and sanctions relief. By sharing photos from the first summit and the Panmunjom meeting, Trump appears to be emphasizing his friendly relationship with Kim. President Trump has recently expressed his intention to push for a meeting with Kim within the year. While North Korea has acknowledged the good personal relationship between the two leaders, it has shown a cautious attitude toward resuming talks, arguing that U.S. policy toward the North has not changed. Previously, Trump announced that he would drastically scale back joint military exercises, citing his good relationship with Kim as part of the background for the decision.
