An Update on North Korea

Steve Herman

President Trump calls off June 12 meeting with North Korea.

Kathleen Toblesky, Photojournalist

After President Trump canceled the historic meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, there are still hopes for making peace with North Korea as well as their denuclearization. While the US may have given up on the deal for the time being, South Korea has decided to continue pursuing relations.

 

It is well known that in the past South Korea has usually been keeping their decisions aligned with the US, so this continuous move towards possible peace.

 

According to The Hill, the original meeting date of June 12 between Trump and Kim may very well be back on after letters were sent from both Trump and Kim. As the Washington Post describes it, “Trump sent his coy breakup letter last Thursday. North Korea wafted back a flattering appeal to reconsider,” believing that the summit is now back on for certain.

 

Since the movement towards peace between the Korean Peninsula began, Trump’s involvement has been fluctuating. The world has been unsure of whether or not the US will in fact be involved in the deal. While Trump may be leaning into it as of now, it is unclear if he will continue to keep this position and for how long.

 

“It’s far harder to keep up with and predict Korean developments. We’re in uncharted water,” said Bruce Klingner, a former CIA division chief for Korea to The Hill. “I think it’s going to happen. Whether they do it by the 12th or not, Trump seems eager to have it back on track.”

 

Now back in the deal, Trump made it clear that he has no intention of backing down on the denuclearization of the entire Peninsula. In response, North Korea has offered several concessions, one of which being the release of war prisoners without reciprocal U.S. easing of sanctions, according to the Washington Post. One US official claims that they are controlling the pace with their current methods.

 

To the surprise of many, Trump’s plan seems to be working rather well.

 

As of Tuesday, Vox reports that Trump confirmed that a North Korean official will be visiting New York City for a meeting with Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo. Though no specific date is set in stone, this meeting will most likely occur prior to June 12.

 

With many things now sorting themselves out, the biggest concern still remains to be the removal of nuclear weapons, something North Korea is not eager to let go off.

 

“Both sides should try to diffuse misunderstandings by meeting face-to-face,” Moon Jae-in, the South Korean President, said at a recent press conference regarding the deal. Moon believes that this could only be solved if Trump actually agrees to meet with Kim. Whether or not Trump will take this advice is uncertain.