How Trump-Kim Talks Must Overcome History of Failure

Donald Trump has agreed to meet Kim Jong Un -- a scenario that seemed improbable given the recent context of insults and threats exchanged between the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea. What’s more, Kim has said he’s willing to consider relinquishing his nuclear arsenal, according to the first delegation of South Korean officials to meet with him. For veteran watchers of the authoritarian Kim dynasty, however, the message brought to mind similar statements by Kim’s father and grandfather, who used talks on their nuclear-arms program to extract concessions without ever giving up on the weapons. North Korea blames the U.S. for reneging on the deals.

An unprecedented summit between Trump and Kim will take place, possibly within weeks. According to a top South Korean official, Kim “expressed his eagerness to meet President Trump as soon as possible” and Trump “said he would meet Kim by May to achieve permanent denuclearization.” The leaders of North and South Korea had earlier agreed to meet for a summit on their shared border in late April. One report said North Korea had promised to halt development of intercontinental ballistic missiles, but the pledge was dependent on “U.S. attitude.”