Take Two: Trump to Meet North Korea’s Kim in February

By: Norhan Mahmoud 

CAIRO, Jan. 19 (SEE)- On Friday, President Donald Trump discussed, in the Oval Office, denuclearization with North Korea’s Envoy Kim Yong Chol- and 90 minutes later, the White House announced that a second summit between Mr. Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un will be held later in February.

On diplomatic levels, such conversations suggest significant progress as both leaders take steps forward to tackle the crisis, yet in this case talks are not enough- plans need to be put into action. Otherwise, the efforts will be perceived as a hopeless show.

Since their first summit in June 2018, President Trump and Chairman Kim have been exchanging letters, but no further notifications were mediated on their beamy denuclearization deal. 

What Washington does is pressuring Pyongyang, through sanctions, to give up its nuclear plans. But, the issue here requires a roadmap “to know exactly what the next steps will be, and to have predictability in the way negotiations take place, as the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted it in a news conference. 

The exact venue of the upcoming summit is not confirmed, though Vietnam, Hawaii, Thailand and Singapore are suggested hosts.

Whilst longing stability for the Korean Peninsula, South Korea looks forward that the second summit would be a turning point for initiating peace.

It is hard to aver Chairman Kim’s next movement; whether he will leave behind his missile and arsenal dreams- that have become a trademark of his regime- for his country to survive from poverty and global rejection, or not. Everyone has only to wait for the surprise!