Anchor: Unification Minister Kim Young-ho says the time is not ripe for the incoming Donald Trump administration to seek another U.S.-North Korea summit anytime soon amid complex international politics involving Russia and Ukraine, as well as instability in the Middle East. The minister also warned against recognizing North Korea as a nuclear state, saying that doing so would have a domino effect and drive South Korea and Japan to go nuclear.
Kim Bum-soo has more on KBS’ exclusive interview with the unification minister. 

Report: Seoul’s unification minister says another surprise meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un is unlikely anytime soon. 

Appearing on a KBS news program on Sunday, Unification Minister Kim Young-ho said North Korea’s participation in the Russia-Ukraine war has made the situation more complex than it was seven years ago.  

[Sound bite: Minister of Unification Kim Young-ho (Korean-English)]
"For the incoming Trump administration, there are too many foreign policy issues that need to be addressed. They include the wars in Ukraine and in the Gaza Strip, as well as the Iran situation. Because these and other global issues need to be addressed together with North Korea issues, we believe it would not be easy for dialogue or a summit with the U.S. to take place shortly after the new administration launches, unlike the situation in 2018 and 2019." 

Acknowledging concerns that the second Trump administration could bypass South Korea and deal directly with the North, the minister said Trump’s “America first” foreign policy does not mean “America alone.”

[Sound bite: Minister of Unification Kim Young-ho (Korean-English)]
"Even if U.S. foreign policy emphasizes personal diplomacy during Trump’s second term, I believe the stances of South Korea, NATO and other U.S. ally countries would inevitably have to be considered. Therefore, at this time, when North Korea has sent troops to the war in Ukraine, I believe the U.S. would have to sufficiently take into consideration the positions of NATO and South Korea if it were to seek to engage in dialogue with North Korea."

If a dialogue is arranged, the minister argued that North Korea will want to shift the focus of its nuclear talks from denuclearization to mutual arms reduction.  

He suggested that if the U.S. were to officially recognize a nuclear North Korea, it would have a domino effect and prompt South Korea and Japan to go nuclear too.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.