Pragmatism will lead to successful meeting
US President Donald Trump on Thursday tweeted with pride he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12.
The US has been feeding the world’s curiosity with the meeting’s venue, which is part of Washington’s publicity campaign.
The US declined options of a Chinese city or the demilitarized zone on the Korean Peninsula because Trump does not want his central role to be interrupted. As a major partner of the US, Singapore will serve as Trump’s host city.
Singapore will be the farthest place a North Korean leader will go since Moscow at the end of the Cold War. Kim agreed on the choice of location, demonstrating North Korea’s willingness to accept and observe international rules.
Trump has credited himself with the choice of Singapore, by which he wants to send the signal that “the US won the first round.” It raises the US public’s expectations for successful negotiations. However, it’s also a burden to Trump, wherein Trump will try his best to achieve success, unlike what Washington has propagated that it will pull out of the dialogue if it feels Pyongyang lacks sincerity. Such restraint by Trump is conducive to North Korea. Trump’s patience and devotion to their meeting are what Pyongyang needs the most at this time.
No one believed Trump’s announced aim for the meeting was practical, not even Americans. The White House demands a quick denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and said it would repay North Korea only after Pyongyang achieves irreversible denuclearization, before which it would maintain high pressure.
North Korea said denuclearization should be conducted in steps and along with the US providing security assurances.
It will be a bitter pill to swallow for Trump if the talks break down, given that he has already exploited his presumed diplomatic success with Pyongyang. This will force him to take a more realistic attitude to the denuclearization process.
Trump’s highest goal is to force North Korea to denuclearize immediately and to make his meeting with Kim an occasion to glorify his Korea policy. His lowest aim is to make sure the “success” of the meeting in the eyes of the US populace and boost his public image.
If Trump’s Singapore trip produces no result or if the meeting is forced over by Pyongyang, all of Trump’s previous glory will turn into a diplomatic rout and political disaster.
On the other hand, the pressure on Kim is much less, since for North Korea, any result from the negotiations is no worse than returning to the height of tensions seen last year.
Such a difference in nuance may put the Kim-Trump summit on a more equal footing for both sides, and they will negotiate in a more pragmatic manner.