Mark Lambert, a former US deputy assistant secretary of state who spearheaded working-level negotiations as a State Division particular envoy for North Korea throughout Donald Trump’s first time period as US president, offers a fireplace chat for the SFS Korea Coverage Membership at Georgetown College in Washington, DC, on Nov. 18, 2025. (Kim Received-chul/Hankyoreh)
Mark Lambert, a former US deputy assistant secretary of state who spearheaded working-level negotiations as a State Division particular envoy for North Korea throughout Donald Trump’s first time period as US president, harassed that attaining North Korea’s denuclearization was “price making an attempt” and that the US nonetheless has “carrots” and “sticks” to make use of with Pyongyang.
Commenting on the potential for Trump assembly with North Korean chief Kim Jong-un throughout an anticipated go to to China in April of subsequent 12 months, Lambert mentioned such an encounter “must be executed with some kind of coordination with Moscow, and I do not know if that’s doable.”
Talking on Tuesday at a fireplace chat in Washington, DC, organized by Georgetown College’s SFS Korea Coverage Membership, Lambert harassed that the US has “enormous sticks” that “prevented the North Koreans from doing a little loopy issues up to now.”
He additionally mentioned, “We nonetheless have the carrots that we have been providing within the first Trump administration, which was [. . .] financial growth.”
Lambert additional commented, “There was a cause why the [2019 bilateral] summit was held in Vietnam.”
“We labored very carefully with the Vietnamese on that as a result of again within the day, the Vietnamese caught their neck out,” he defined.
“[The Vietnamese] acknowledged that they fought a bloody battle, a horrible battle with the USA, but when they have been going to develop their economic system, they wanted to take an opportunity [on cooperation with the US], and so they did,” he continued.
“We requested the Vietnamese, please convey your experiences to the North Koreans, which they did,” he mentioned.
Yohan Moon and Anirudh Prakash, the president and vice chairman of SFS Korea Coverage Membership at Georgetown College, respectively, host a fireplace chat with Mark Lambert. (courtesy of the Korea Coverage Membership)
Emphasizing the necessity to pursue denuclearization even when the scenario seems realistically hopeless, Lambert mentioned the dangers concerned have been too nice, explaining that in distinction with different international locations with nuclear weapons, together with Pakistan and India, the regime in Pyongyang might say, “Why not?” and determine to make use of its weapons.
In a gathering with South Korean correspondents a day earlier, Mike Pompeo — a former secretary of state who was concerned in all three North Korea-US dialogues throughout Trump’s first time period — urged the probability of success with further dialogue was slim, suggesting that the US had no “carrots” left to influence Kim Jong-un to desert nuclear weapons and few out there “sticks.”
Acknowledging that Pompeo had been “my boss,” Lambert mentioned he “would respectfully disagree” with the concept that the US has no means out there.
He additionally commented on the potential for Chinese language President Xi Jinping mediating dialogue between North Korea and the US when Trump visits subsequent April.
“I feel the complicating think about that’s the bromance between Xi and Putin,” he mentioned, stressing that the hypothetical would “should be executed with some kind of coordination with Moscow, and I don’t know if that’s doable.”
His evaluation urged that, in gentle of the very shut ties between Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Beijing could be unlikely to take motion by itself whereas Moscow reinforces its bilateral ties with Pyongyang.
Lambert additional remarked on the reward of a crown that South Korea introduced to Trump on the time of the Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation summit.
“That’s fairly particular,” he mentioned.
“That was a little bit of genius,” he additionally commented.
By Kim Received-chul, Washington correspondent
Please direct questions or feedback to [english@hani.co.kr]
