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U.S. President Donald Trump crosses the military demarcation line into North Korea and walks back together with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at Panmunjom on June 30, 2019. / Source: Yonhap News

Victor Cha, Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), has raised the possibility that U.S. President Donald Trump may meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at Panmunjom when he visits South Korea in late October for the APEC summit.

Cha said the recent U.S. airstrikes on Iran's major nuclear facilities have made it more difficult to achieve the complete denuclearization of North Korea, but may have ironically increased the chances of renewed dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.

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Victor Cha (left), Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), speaks with U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) at CSIS in Washington, D.C., on June 18. / Ham An-joo, AsiaToday correspondent

Speaking at a CSIS online seminar on June 18 titled “The impact of U.S. strikes on Iran on North Korea, China, and Russia,” Cha stated, “One of the consequences of the airstrikes on Iran could be that the idea of CVID—complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea—is essentially over.”

He explained that North Korea, observing the 14 U.S. bunker-buster bombs dropped on Iran, may believe that only nuclear weapons can protect them from a similar fate, reinforcing their conviction that nuclear armament is the “right path.”

However, Cha also said Pyongyang might seek talks with the U.S. to avoid the risk of such a bunker-buster assault. He pointed out that President Trump could also pursue negotiations with North Korea to curb its weapons transfers to Russia and its nuclear cooperation with Iran, including aiding the reconstruction of uranium enrichment facilities.

Cha noted that a potential catalyst for renewed U.S.-North Korea talks could be a fourth Trump-Kim summit at Panmunjom during Trump’s visit to South Korea for the APEC summit in late October. Trump previously met Kim at Panmunjom in June 2019, marking their third encounter.