This archive report was first published on 24 October 2019.
North Korea's efforts to engage with the US in nuclear talks have been marked by a desire to leverage the relationship between Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.
According to a statement carried by Pyongyang's official news agency KCNA, foreign ministry adviser Kim Kye Gwan met with the North Korean leader a few days ago, and Kim Jong-un described the relationship between him and President Trump as special.
Analysts say the North is looking to exploit this relationship, which has been characterized by Trump's praise of Kim and Kim's praise of Trump's 'extraordinary courage', to secure US concessions in nuclear talks.
Pyongyang understands that US officials will oppose the lifting of sanctions before denuclearisation and therefore wants to negotiate directly with Trump, according to Koh Yu-hwan, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul.
"The North is sending a message that unless Trump makes the call, the talks will fall through and that they are now at a crossroads," Koh said.
After trading threats of war and insults in 2017, the two leaders held a high-profile summit in Singapore last year, but negotiations stalled after an unsuccessful second summit in Hanoi in February and the latest round of working-level talks in Sweden broke off earlier this month.
