Second US-DPRK Summit (Feb. 27-28)

US President Donald Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un again on February 27-28 in Vietnam, following their first historic summit in Singapore last year. Given that the first meeting fell short of expectations, ending with an ambiguous joint statement that did not specify the definition of denuclearization or how to achieve it, the stakes were higher this time and so were the prospects for the summit. This atmosphere was highlighted in remarks given at Stanford University by Stephen Biegun, the US special representative for North Korea, who said, “Trump is ready to end this [Korean] war” and in an exclusive report by Vox, on the outline of a tentative agreement, released just a day before the summit – the US would agree to lift some sanctions on North Korea and the two countries would improve ties in exchange for North Korea shutting down a key nuclear facility, Yongbyon, and maybe more. Against this backdrop, there were worries of Trump giving away too much as well as anticipation for concrete steps toward North Korea’s denuclearization.

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