USA TODAY International Edition
President takes ‘bold’ approach on North Korea
Trump, Kim Jong Un will meet in Vietnam
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam on Feb. 27 and 28, the latest sign of thawing tensions between two leaders who had publicly traded insults and threats of military confrontation.
Trump announced the meeting Tuesday night during the State of the Union address, saying it was part of “a bold new diplomacy” that has already yielded tangible results.
“Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in 15 months,” Trump said. “If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea.”
That claim drew skepticism from Democrats in the House chamber and North Korea experts on Twitter.
“Ok let’s be clear that North Korea’s successful acquisition of a nuclear ICBM is why there was no war with North Korea,” tweeted Vipin Narang, an associate professor of political science at MIT who studies North Korea and nuclear proliferation.
The last nuclear test North Korea conducted was in September 2017. The regime launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in November 2017. Some experts said the regime no longer needs such tests because of advances in its nuclear weapons program.
In June, Trump and Kim held a historic meeting in Singapore. Trump has since said North Korea is no longer a nuclear threat, but independent analysts have questioned that assessment.
Vietnam, which has diplomatic ties with both Washington and Pyongyang, offers advantages for both leaders. It is an easy flight for Kim’s shorter-range aircraft, and for Trump, it offers a symbolic nod to a communist country that has improved relations with the U.S. since the end of the Vietnam War.
Trump said last week that he may meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping as part of the summit as the U.S. and China work to head off a trade war.
Pointing to an end of nuclear missile tests, Trump placed North Korea at the top of his foreign policy achievements. Trump and Kim have traded letters, and the president has repeatedly said they have a “very good relationship.”
“Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one,” Trump said Tuesday night.
Analysts argue that Trump should have demanded concrete steps toward denuclearization from North Korea – the original U.S. goal – before agreeing to another meeting.