On June 23, Fred Flights, deputy director of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), spoke with reporters at a book launch event in Washington, D.C., stating, "The Trump administration is very supportive of nuclear cooperation with South Korea." Flights previously served as the chief of staff to the National Security Advisor during Trump's first term.
He noted that the implementation of security measures outlined in last year's joint statement from the U.S.-South Korea summit had been delayed due to trade disagreements, but there has been progress through recent discussions. Flights mentioned that a timeline for reaching an agreement has been established, and the parties hope to finalize it by the end of the year.
Flights argued that it is unreasonable for South Korea, which possesses advanced nuclear power technology, to be restricted from producing nuclear fuel rods due to U.S. limitations. Under the U.S.-South Korea nuclear agreement, South Korea requires U.S. consent for uranium enrichment and the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel.
Regarding North Korea, Flights suggested that Trump may be interested in resuming dialogue. He referenced Trump recently posting a photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on social media, interpreting it as a signal that Trump is ready to shift his focus back to North Korea. However, he added, "North Korea is currently not responsive to dialogue with the United States."
Flights also commented on the location of the first U.S.-North Korea summit in 2018, which took place in Singapore rather than the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). He claimed that this choice was made to persuade Kim directly, excluding former President Moon Jae-in from the discussions. However, this interpretation is Flights' own, as the summit was held in Singapore in June 2018.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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