Trump-Kim meeting planners face key question: Which location is the best fit?
If everything goes according to plan, President Donald Trump is expected to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before the end of May. That leaves roughly 12 weeks to put together a plan for one of the most high-profile diplomatic events in recent years. Planning this will be a venture into uncharted waters — as no sitting U.S. president has ever met with a North Korean leader, there is no map to follow.
One of the simplest elements in the plan may be one of its most important: Where should the meeting take place?
As a real estate tycoon like Trump should know, location can be a key factor in negotiations. Some potential countries are already vying for the opportunity. Sweden and Switzerland have issued statements offering to help facilitate the meeting, while former Mongolian president Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj suggested that his country was the most “suitable, neutral” territory to host.
However, the issue raises a number of symbolic points that both sides will need to grapple with, as well as some major practical concerns: Though he was raised partially in Switzerland, since he took power in North Korea in late 2012, Kim has not stepped foot outside the country.
Here are some of the main possibilities:
North Korea
In the past, high-profile meetings between U.S. political figures and North Korean leaders have generally taken place in North Korea itself. For example, former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter have both visited Pyongyang in a bid for better U.S.North Korea relations.
United States
Another possibility would be to hold talks in the U.S. In June 2015, then-candidate Trump said that he would be willing to invite Kim to the United States for talks, suggesting that he would “accept him” and serve the North Korean delegation hamburger.
Third-party candidate
To ensure neutrality, it might make sense to choose a third party to host. Switzerland and Mongolia both make sense for their neutrality, while Sweden may be particularly appealing option due to its long-standing ties to Pyongyang and its role as a protecting power for the United States in North Korea, assuming consular responsibility for U.S. citizens. Another option may be to choose a venue in another country that plays an important role in North Korea, such as China, Russia or even South Korea.
The DMZ
Speaking of South Korea, Pyongyang’s shared border with its southern neighbor — and the demilitarized zone that runs along it — may prove to be the most logical choice. The “truce village” of Panmunjom is a likely venue: There are already plans to hold an inter-Korean summit at the site next month, the first such event in more than a decade.
Right now, it’s hard to guess exactly where the meeting might be held. Michael Madden, founder of the website North Korea Leadership Watch, said it was unlikely that Kim would travel outside North Korea. Though Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il, went outside the country for meetings, he left North Korea in the hands of Kim Jong Un or another trusted relative when he did so. “They have to have a designated survivor in Pyongyang,” Madden said. “It’s just the way North Korea works internally.”
At present, the highest-profile member of Kim’s family, Kim Yo Jong, may already be too vital to foreign relations to leave behind on any meeting with Americans, Madden added, leaving no obvious choice to stand in.