존 볼턴 "2차 북미정상회담, 아마도 내년 1월1일 이후 열릴 것",... 정상회담 왜 늦춰지나?

U.S. President Donald Trump said his next meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will likely take place after the November 6th midterm election.
But there are growing speculations that it could be held at a much later date,... possibly next year.
Lee Ji-won sheds light on what could be the possible reason for this delay.
White House National Security Advisor John Bolton has hinted that the second North Korea-U.S. summit will likely take place next year.
In an interview with Russian radio station Echo Moskvy on Monday,... Bolton said.... that U.S. President Donald Trump has taken the unprecedented step of meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un,.... and that they will probably meet again 'after the first of the year'.
This is the first time a White House official has hinted at such a possibility, and it is in line with a Reuters' report last week that quoted a senior U.S. official and said the same about the meeting, adding that the details are likely to be sorted out very soon.
After U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's fourth visit to Pyeongyang earlier in the month, Pompeo told the traveling press that the North and the U.S. got "pretty close" to finalizing the terms of the summit.
But Pompeo said that "that last inch is hard to close",... and it seems like the gap still hasn't been narrowed.
Weeks ago, a Japanese newspaper quoted sources to report that Kim Jong-un refused to first declare the regime's nuclear assets, while the U.S. said the North needs to do more than dismantle the Yeongbyeon nuclear facility.
But some experts say the delay comes as the U.S. is taking its time deciding what to offer the North for dismantling its nuclear site.
"North Korea offered to dismantle the Yeongbyeon site, and a corresponding measure would be something like lifting the sanctions. But that's not something the U.S. can do now, and so it does not have a powerful enough card to give to the North. And they are currently weighing their cards."
Some look at the situation from a strategic point of view.
"The U.S. stance is that it does not beg for talks with the North. So, by taking time to meet and reach a deal, Washington could be urging the North to take more concrete steps for denuclearization if it wants sanctions to be alleviated. This adds pressure on the North and could work as a push."
While there are concerns on why the planned working-level talk is not being carried out, Professor Yang said it's not a problem, as Pyeongyang and Washington are continuing their talks, and even discussing possible meetings between Pompeo and his counterpart, which Pompeo last Friday said will hopefully be held "in the next week and a half or so".
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.