A photo taken on an AFSC delegation visit to North Korea in 2016. AFSC
Note: This op-ed was originally published in NK News on April 23, 2025.
During his first term, President Donald Trump defied the U.S. policy establishment and initiated dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. It was the right thing to do then, and restarting these talks are the right thing to do now. Ratcheting up tensions will only harm prospects for peace and security for people everywhere.
Following his election, Donald Trump apppointed officials who played a role in the first round of summits with North Korea. The president has also continued to reference his relationship with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, and he recently indicated that there is communication between his administration and North Korea. What’s more, new polling suggests that voters want engagement and diplomacy, not another decade of an unresolved war.
PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR ENGAGEMENT
According to a U.S. public opinion poll commissioned by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) in 2025, seven in 10 Americans (70%) believe the U.S. president should offer to hold meetings with the North Korean leader. This broad base of public support for engagement with North Korea should be an indication to this administration that there is political will for a shift away from the Biden-era “hurry up and wait” strategy.
Respondents were also highly supportive of practical engagement to improve the U.S.- North Korea relationship, with 75% saying they support the U.S. government working with North Korea to repatriate the remains of U.S. service members from the Korean War.
Miscommunication between the U.S. and North Korea could lead to nuclear confrontation if channels of communication are closed. Even smaller gestures can play a key role in reducing tensions and mitigate the risk of a devastating military confrontation.
DIPLOMATIC ISOLATION AND PRESSURE HAVE FAILED
Continued attempts by Washington and its allies to isolate and pressure North Korea have not led to greater security for the U.S. or the region. Decades of increasing sanctions have not prevented Pyongyang from advancing its nuclear program or ballistic missile tests.
However, research has shown that diplomacy between the U.S. and the DPRK has helped restrain the number of perceived provocations that Pyongyang carries out. Engaging North Korea makes the people of both countries and the entire region safer.
The continued state of war and hostility between the DPRK and the U.S. also hurts families.
Estimates suggest that approximately 100,000 Korean Americans have relatives in North Korea from whom they have been separated since the Korean War ended in 1953. About two-thirds of poll respondents (69%) said the U.S. government should work with the DPRK to reunite Korean Americans and their family members divided by seven decades of war.
Not only is there a lack of imperial evidence that isolation and pressure on North Korea has substantive positive impacts, such policies have also worsened the humanitarian crisis faced by the most vulnerable groups.
Pressure policies such as the U.S. travel ban and broad-based sectoral sanctions have a chilling effect on life saving humanitarian assistance. Conversely, policies that allow humanitarian organizations to do their work help increase food production, provide critical medical care and respond effectively to natural disasters.
In short, engaging North Korea saves lives.
GETTING TO THE NEGOTIATION TABLE
It’s unlikely the North Korean government will make the first move to restart negotiations. In order to get the North Koreans to the table, the Trump administration must show that such negotiations will not be a repeat of Hanoi and Singapore. They need to put something on the table.
While Donald Trump highlights his personal rapport with the North Korean leader, his administration has continued to use the familiar tactics of isolation and pressure that have failed to make progress in U.S.-DPRK ties for the past 70 years. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has referred to North Korea as a “rogue” state, and the U.S. and South Korea continued to practice live-fire military exercises.
This approach is dangerous and counterproductive.
Trying to begin negotiations with a demand for unilateral denuclearization will lead to the same roadblock the U.S. and North Korea have been at for decades. Instead, the Trump administration should make the first move.
Offering partial relief from the most severe broad-based sanctions, removing North Korea from the State Sponsor of Terrorism List or offering to establish liaison offices in both countries may convince North Korea that the U.S. is interested in more than just talk. By beginning with unilateral action, the Trump administration can put negotiations with North Korea back on track and work toward a more stable and secure Korean peninsula.