U.S. and North Korea Discuss Reviving Meeting

On Sunday, U.S. and North Korean officials engaged in last-minute discussions to find a way to revive the planned summit between President Donald Trump and General Kim Jong-un.

Some diplomatic experts have been reportedly sent over to North Korea, and meetings have taken place in Panmunjom, a village on the border of North and South Korea that is usually the setting for communications between the two countries.

President Trump confirmed these actions on Twitter, stating that the team had arrived in North Korea and was there to “make arrangements.” He added: “I truly believe North Korea has brilliant potential and will be a great economic and financial Nation one day. Kim Jong Un agrees with me on this. It will happen!”

It has also been reported that another team, led by deputy White House Chief of Staff Joe Hagin, is currently in Singapore—the country that would have originally hosted the summit. Hagin is working on logistics, scheduling, and security-related issues.

The President’s adamant requests for the meeting to take place on June 12 have had all involved teams and officials rushing to meet the date, and people familiar with these kinds of negotiations have stated that it is still unclear if they will accomplish such a difficult task.

During an interview on ABC, Florida Senator Marco Rubio stated his belief that Jong-un will not drop the nation’s nuclear weapons program, proceeding to show skepticism towards the verity of the general’s recent actions that could indicate the contrary. He said that “It’s all a show.” Arizona Senator Jeff Flake echoed his fellow Republican by saying that “a lot of us have been skeptical that North Korea will ever agree to total denuclearization.”

Other sources have stated their belief that North Korea may request for the U.S. to drop their extended nuclear program as well, which protects South Korea from adversaries. The U.S. would be prohibited from flying nuclear bombers over the Korean Peninsula.

The recent events also called for a surprise meeting between South Korean president Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un in Panmunjom. Jae-in later reported that the complete denuclearization of North Korea was discussed. Additionally, the uncertainty over how Trump would proceed with the American nuclear program was a matter of concern for both of them. Administration officials have stated that the team in North Korea will likely not be able to negotiate the dismantling of the program, which was part of the objective by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Joseph Y. Yun, former chief North Korea negotiator at the State Department, has stated that Kim Jong-un is likely to release a set of documents that describe the three steps that Korea would take to dismantle their nuclear program: 1.  the declaration of the extent to which the country is willing to denuclearize; 2. the procedure of informing the U.S. about their decision; and then 3. the matter of the U.S. going about confirming those claims.

Featured Image via: Flickr/Gage Skidmore