North Korean officials are reaching out to Republican-linked analysts in an attempt to better understand President Donald Trump, according to a report published Tuesday by The Washington Post.
The effort began before Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jung Un started trading fiery rhetoric in the wake of the Hermit Kingdom's repeated missile tests, the Post reported.
“Their number one concern is Trump,” a source, who was not identified, told the newspaper. “They can’t figure him out.”
The Post reported that at least seven invitations have been extended to Washington-based analysts, including Douglas Paal, an expert on Asia who served on the National Security Council under presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
Paal, who is currently vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the Post that he declined North Korea's request to arrange talks between its officials and "American experts with Republican ties."
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“The North Koreans are clearly eager to deliver a message,” Paal said, adding that North Korean officials wanted the meeting to take place in a neutral location, such as Switzerland. “But I think they’re only interested in getting out of the country for a bit.”
