North Korean Summit

            There are two major items of interest in the news. The first is the G7 Summit, and the second is the North Korean Summit. Since I discussed the G7 Summit yesterday, today I will discuss the historical meeting between the President of the United States and the leader of North Korea on June 11, 2018.

            After years of smoldering strains and months of escalating tensions between the United States and North Korea, the leaders of the two countries met for the first time in Singapore on Monday. The meeting almost did not take place when President Donald Trump threatened to cancel it after North Korea criticized senior members of his cabinet, including Vice President Mike Pence. Trump agreed to attend the meeting after Kim Jong Un sort of apologized.

            The two leaders met face-to-face in an orchestrated public greeting and shook hands. They then had a private meeting with only interpreters in the room with them. This meeting lasted about forty minutes before they appeared on a balcony and spoke to reporters before moving into an expanded bilateral meeting with the delegations from each nation.

            The President and the Dictator emerged with a joint document. North Korea pledged to denuclearize their nation, and the US agreed to stop war exercises with South Korea. There was also an agreement to return the American POW/MIA from the past 65-70 years. All the sanctions are still in place.

            Whether or not this historical meeting brings the desired results, the fact that the leaders of the two nations met in person is a momentous occasion. It is the first time that any President of the United States has met with any leader of North Korea. Hopefully, this meeting will result in peace and security for the world and prosperity for the nation of North Korea.

            The ball is now North Korea’s court. They can choose to move forward into the light or stay in the dark. The decision is theirs to make. As Donald Trump often says, “We’ll see” what they do.