Trump Changes His Tune on North Korean De-Nuclearization

While Trump had previously demanded that Kim Jong-un completely abandon the weapon program—without any compromise by the United States—he has now proposed a progressive dismissal of the North Korean nuclear arsenal.

This more flexible request comes after North Korea’s declaration that they would not surrender their weapons without a reciprocal response by the United States. North Korea then followed that up by threatening to cancel the upcoming summit between the two leaders, which is scheduled to take place a month from now in Singapore.

This change is somewhat surprising, since Trump has kept his position on North Korea quite adamant for months now.

Yet, it seems that he is willing to alter his course to keep the summit alive; the prospective meeting has given him so much attention recently.

Trump stated that the scale and magnitude of North Korea’s nuclear project would make it difficult for them to dismantle it in a single action. He delivered his comments while he received South Korea’s president Moon Jae-in in the Oval Office. He proceeded to state his belief that the upcoming meeting could end up being quite beneficial for Kim Jong-un, and for his country’s well-being, prosperity and safety.

He did, however, highlight that the meeting may not happen by the scheduled date, because there are “certain conditions we want to happen.” He declared that “if we don’t [get those conditions], we won’t have the meeting.”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that, while he does express optimism regarding the summit, it is very likely that more changes and events will have to occur before the meeting can take place.

Although President Trump has shown his enthusiasm for the meeting on several occasions, some members of the White House do not share that feeling. The uncertainty surrounding the event—what will happen, whether it will happen at all—has brought confusion to the administration. Trump, has mentioned his suspicion that North Korea has hardened its relationship with the U.S. after a meeting between Kim Jong-un and China’s president, Xi Jinping. This latest conflict has also raised tension for South Korea’s leader, who has been a sort of middle-man for Trump and Kim Jong-un.

After his declarations, Trump turned to Mr. Moon and asked him whether he believed that the Chinese leader was influencing Kim Jong-un. Moon deflected the question, yet ultimately expressed optimism towards the summit, stating that “The person who is in charge is President Trump.” South Korean officials have stated that Moon continues to motivate Trump. South Korean national security adviser Chung Eui-Yong has stated: “We believe there is a 99.9 percent chance the North Korea-U.S. summit will be held as scheduled.”

A spokesman from the South Korean administration mentioned that the meeting between Trump and Moon was focused on discussing “ways to address the sense of insecurity North Korea could have after it declared complete de-nuclearization for the first time.”

Some political analysts believe that the summit can teach president Trump how to better deal with and approach North Korea, with him being unable to make propositions and demands that fit only his priorities and objectives.

Featured Image via: Wikimedia