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Ki-moon Ban Voices Deep Concern Over “Trump Bypassing Korea in North Korea Nuclear Talks” [ESF2026]

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Ki-moon Ban and Hamre Hold Special Dialogue at Edaily Strategy Forum

Hamre: “Posting Photo of Jong-un Kim Was to Divert Attention from Iran Failure”

Ki-moon Ban: “North Korea‘s Two-State Statement Is Practically a Declaration of Permanent Division”

Hamre: “Transition of Wartime Operational Control Should Be Judged by Actual Readiness”

[Edaily Joo-Won Seong Reporter] “Even if Donald Trump secures another face-to-face meeting with Kim Jong-un, I am profoundly concerned whether he will genuinely and sufficiently consult with Korea first.” (Ki-moon Ban, Former UN Secretary-General)

“Donald Trump does not have a well-crafted plan for North Korea.” (John Hamre, CSIS Chairman Emeritus)

Former United Nations Secretary-General Ki-moon Ban, now Chairman of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future, and John Hamre, Chairman Emeritus of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), sharply criticized the Trump administration’s lack of a Korea Peninsula strategy during a special dialogue at the 17th Edaily Strategy Forum held at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on June 16. The two leaders strongly criticized what they described as the lack of a coherent Korean Peninsula strategy within a potential Trump administration while also sharing candid perspectives on the need for the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON) and strengthening Korea‘s global diplomatic capabilities.

The most notable moment of the dialogue was their interpretation of President Trump’s action of posting a photo with North Korean leader Jong-un Kim from the 2019 Hanoi summit on social media immediately after announcing a ceasefire agreement involving Iran. Chairman Hamre said, “I do not believe Trump has a well-structured strategy,” adding, “He tends to redirect attention when faced with difficult issues.” He analyzed, “The Iran agreement essentially just returned the situation to the brink of war, and Republicans are angry with yielding zero long-term concessions despite massive costs. Trump may have posted the Jong-un Kim photo to shift focus away from the Iran issue.”

Former Secretary-General Ban expressed concern that Trump might once again engage directly with Pyongyang without adequate consultation with Seoul. Referring to Trump‘s visit to Gyeongju during last year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, Ban noted that Trump appeared more focused on sending signals to North Korea than participating fully in official events. “If Trump has an opportunity to meet Jong-un Kim again, I am deeply concerned whether Trump will sufficiently consult with the Korean government, particularly President Lee Jae-myung,” Ban said. He voiced fears that Trump might not treat Korea as an equal alliance partner and could attempt to address the North Korean nuclear issue unilaterally with the U.S.

Both expressed a pessimistic outlook on prospects for North Korea‘s denuclearization. Ban pointed out, “At the recent Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference in New York, a resolution calling for North Korea’s denuclearization failed because Russia exercised its veto,” and emphasized, “It is very serious that neither China nor Russia is urging North Korea toward denuclearization.”

Ban also expressed strong concern over Jong-un Kim‘s “two-state statement.” He analyzed, “Jong-un Kim has recently declared that North and South Korea are completely different countries and started referring to South Korea as the ’Republic of Korea.‘ This is not a sign of respect but a policy intention to permanently separate the two nations.” He noted that under the rule of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, North Koreans could have faced punishment for using the term ’Republic of Korea.‘ Our constitution clearly states that division is temporary and reunification remains the ultimate national goal. North Korea’s behavior is deeply worrying.“

On the issue of OPCON transition, both agreed that actual conditions must be met first. Chairman Hamre said, ”It is very positive that President Jae-myung Lee is significantly increasing defense spending,“ but assessed, ”For effective OPCON exercise, intelligence (J2), operations (J3), and strategic planning (J5) must be integrated, which the Korean military has not yet reached that level.“ He emphasized, ”Rather than an artificial timeline like 2027, it would be better to agree on a process to jointly evaluate actual readiness. In a situation where provocative North Korea wants permanent tension, Korea must not prematurely weaken its own command integrity.“

At the end of the dialogue, Chairman Hamre offered pointed observations on Korea‘s global diplomatic infrastructure. ”Korea’s economy is approximately 2.5 times larger than the Netherlands‘, yet its foreign ministry is only half the size,“ he pointed out. ”Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has remained overly focused on four major powers, U.S., China, Russia, and Japan, for too long. He stressed, “Korea is now a global nation. It must significantly strengthen its diplomatic capabilities.” Chairman Ban agreed, adding, “With both the U.S. and the European Union (EU) facing instability, now is the time for Korea to step forward and play a larger role on the international stage.”