The Upcoming US-North Korea Summit

The upcoming US-North Korean Summit brings a lot of worry to the U.S, but there is still a lot of hope for the meeting. On Tuesday, June 12, President Trump and Kim Jong Un will meet in Singapore to begin what many are referring to as a “political dialogue.”

Trump and Kim have not always had the greatest relationship. Just last year Kim referred to Trump as a “dotard” effectively calling him senile and weak. Trump also hurled his fair share of insults at Kim, most notoriously calling him a “rocket man” during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly. Trump also tweeted about Kim, saying that Kim is “short and fat”:

But recently, we have seen the two view each other in a more positive light. Trump spoke confidently about meeting with Kim, saying “I really feel confident. I feel that Kim Jong Un wants to do something great for his people and he has that opportunity. He can take that nation, with those great people, and truly make it great. ” 

It will be a one-on-one meeting; the only other people present will be translators. For years, the US has held the foreign policy position that the US would only meet with North Korea if it were to be a 6-party talk, including other countries.

On the other hand, North Korea consistently stated they would only meet with the U.S. to negotiate if the meeting were to be one on one. The former US ambassador to Singapore shared his support for the meeting to bridge conflict between North Korea and the US; but he also mentioned this new reversal of America’s foreign policy position: “This is a very good thing. I think that we as a nation have always believed in talking not just to our friends but to our adversaries. The issue is of course that North Korea’s states foreign policy goal for almost thirty years has been a one on one meeting with the United States President to elevate their stature.”

Both leaders are going into the summit to negotiate and discuss each nation’s goals. For the US, Trump’s main focus will be on nuclear warfare. He is pushing for a state of denuclearization in North Korea. This motive is more officially referred to as “complete, permanent and verifiable denuclearization.” Trump has also promised to speak with Kim about the Japanese Nationals that were abducted in North Korea in the 1970s-1980s. As for now, it seems unlikely that Trump will raise the issue of human rights abuses Kim has committed on the people of his country.

Kim Jong Un also yearns to get a lot out of the summit. First off, Kim hopes for the removal of US sanctions that  prohibit North Korea from trade and foreign investment with the rest of the world. North Korea remains one of the most isolated countries in the world—and these sanctions are one of the notable reasons why. Kim is also going in to the summit looking for the removal of about 30,000 troops from South Korea.

Many agree that Kim has received a great benefit from the summit before it even started: normalization. Scott Snyder, from the Council of Foreign Relations, stated “This is essentially the normalization of Kim Jong Un and North Korea on the international stage. And of course that carries with it consequences and the challenge is really to make sure we are not normalizing North Korea as a Nuclear Weapon state.” North Korea is now being tolerated by a major power in international politics. Only time can tell what this will mean in terms of North Korea’s international stature.

Although Trump appears confident about the summit, many politicians, political analysts, and citizens are not totally convinced. After Trump’s outburst after the last G-7 summit, many are reluctant to see Trump thrust into another diplomatic position. Trump showed up late (during the portion about gender equality and women’s empowerment) and left early (avoiding discussing topics such as climate change and protecting the world’s oceans), showing the honest amount of respect he had for his fellow leaders and America’s allies. Trump also managed to tweet insults about the Canadian Prime minister, Justin Trudeau, and pulled out of the communique agreements completely.

Overall Trump was considered unsuccessful in regards to his attendance to the G7 summit. He did not accomplish much; instead, he stirred up conflict. Peter Beyer, the German government’s coordinator on Trans-Atlantic relations, stated “It looks like the U.S. is no longer a reliable partner in international agreements, and that’s bad.” It is clear that Trump cannot afford another loss at an international summit, and this may give him all the more reason to comply with Kim’s demands.

Featured Image via: Flickr/sanjay dhameliya