At the same time, Obama’s advocacy of direct diplomacy caused concern during the campaign, with some questioning whether this meant that he would meet a leader such as Kim Jong-il without preconditions. While it is difficult to predict how far he might move in this direction, it would be politically difficult for Obama to meet the North Korean leader in such a manner, something that he is likely to learn early in his presidency.
与此同时，奥巴马对直接外交政策的倡议也在其竞选过程中引起了一些顾虑。有人疑问这是否意味着他会在没有任何先决条件的情况下会见如金正日这样的（北朝鲜）领导人。虽然难以预测奥巴马在这条路上会走多远，但在这样的情况下会晤北朝鲜的领导人在政治上将是困难的。这一点奥巴马在上任之初就会明白。