Why the US should still insist North Korea give up its nukes
The risks and downsides of changing the US playbook remain even if there is no real prospect of Kim Jong Un relinquishing his growing arsenal.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting a nuclear materials production factory on June 3.
PHOTO : AFP
On June 14, US President Donald Trump’s social media account displayed a photo of Trump and a smiling North Korean paramount leader Kim Jong Un walking side by side during their 2018 summit in Singapore, which went well compared with the failed 2019 summit in Hanoi. No commentary accompanied the photo, but since the end of his first term, Trump has expressed willingness to re-engage with Kim and spoken warmly about him.
The post, which came shortly before he announced that the US and Iran had agreed to a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, prompted South Korean media to wonder if Trump was obliquely inviting Kim for a new round of talks. Separately, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said last week that Trump told him it was time to “pay attention to the North Korea issue” when both leaders met in France for the Group of Seven summit.
