After years of mistrust, how the ice was finally broken between sides

Q Should the United States trust North Korea? A There are plenty of reasons to be sceptical. Previous efforts to contain North Korea’s nuclear arsenal, including an agreement in 1994, ended in failure amid strong evidence that North Korea was moving ahead with an enrichment programme despite the deal with the United States.

North Korea has regularly objected to visits from weapons inspectors during previous talks of disarmament.

Q What does North Korea want in return for agreeing to talks?

A North Korea said they want security guarantees in return for talking about nuclear disarmament, but have not said what they mean by that.

Q Why is the North making this offer now?

A It is the result of efforts by South Korean President Moon Jae-in to ease tensions on the peninsula and get the US and North Korea to talk with each other. The first step was getting North Korea to accept Moon’s invitation to participate in last month’s Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. North Korea has also been feeling the economic strain brought about by sanctions, which are part of the Trump administration’s strategy of bringing “maximum pressure” to bear on Kim Jong-un’s regime.

Q What’s the next step?

A South Korea said Moon and Kim would hold a summit in late April in the demilitarised zone that divides the two countries. The Trump administration is likely to closely watch that meeting and other actions by North Korea to assess how serious Kim is about denuclearisation before agreeing to talks. “The World is watching and waiting!” Trump said in his tweet Tuesday.