President Donald Trump’s bold decision to accept the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a meeting was unprecedented. Although this will be the first meeting of a sitting president with a North Korean leader, it follows a series of temporary successes the U. S. has had
President Donald Trump ’s bold decision to accept the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a meeting was unprecedented. Although this will be the first meeting of a sitting president with a North Korean leader, it follows a series of temporary successes the U. S. has had with North Korea during the past 25 years.
The 1994 Agreed Framework halted North Korea ’s plutonium program for an extended period; the 1999 (Secretary of Defense) Perry Process arranged for the visit of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to visit Pyongyang and meet with Kim Jong-il, in preparation for a visit of President Bill Clinton to North Korea that didn’t materialize; the Sept. 19,2005, Joint Statement of the Six Party Talks committed North Korea to comprehensive dismantlement of its nuclear programs, in return for security assurances and other deliverables.
Each of these initiatives was encouraging at the time, but ultimately failed. Mr. Trump ’s upcoming meeting with Kim Jong-un could reverse this cycle. The 25 years of negotiations with North Korea provides the lessons necessary to ensure that any agreement reached with Kim Jong-un is a just and verifiable agreement that permanently resolves the nuclear and other issues with North Korea.
Kim Jong-un ’s apparent willingness to improve relations with South Korea and the U. S. shouldn’t be too surprising. Sanctions were biting and North Korea was more isolated than ever before, even with its ally China. Joint U. S.-ROK military exercises were intimidating, with the prospect of pre-emptive military action.
Additionally, Kim Jong-un must have been satisfied with the nuclear and missile progress made in 2017, with 25 missiles launched, to include an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the whole of the U. S. and a nuclear test of a reported hydrogen bomb. Thus, 2017 was a seminal year for Kim Jong-un — he was hurting economically but confident that he established North Korea as a formidable nuclear weapons state.
This mix of pain and confidence likely motivated Kim Jong-un to reach out to South Korea, with his willingness to participate in the Winter Olympics and his invitation to President Moon Jae-in for a summit meeting, and his subsequent invitation to Mr.
