It’s a bold step that US President Donald Trump has taken to accept North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un’s invitation for summit-level talks on denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, conveyed through the South Korean government. This also indicates that the South, a key American ally that hosts thousands of American troops, is on board.
The opening of talks at the highest level between Washington and Pyongyang is a good idea even if the desired outcomes are elusive, provided doors aren’t shut on future talks. The North’s nukes and missiles to deliver them, which were extensively tested with fanfare and bellicose propaganda last year amid trading of personal insults between Mr Trump and the very young and very powerful Mr Kim, make the Koreas the world’s number one flashpoint.
No US President, while in office, has conversed even telephonically with any leader of the isolated Communist regime that poses a nuclear threat to mainland America. That makes Mr Trump’s decision even more striking. America’s political and foreign policy and security establishment, and the President’s Cabinet colleagues, have been largely taken aback.
In the normal way, lower-level conversations prepare the ground for summit talks. In this case, there’s a history of official-level talks spluttering and North Korea resuming nuclear weapons activities with US and UN economic sanctions against the Communists tightening further. Pyongyang has sought top-level talks for years, with Washington being dismissive. Mr Trump has changed all that. North Korea will certainly seek security guarantees and substantial economic support to give up its nuclear weapons. The US President should negotiate to bring peace and set the benchmark high.
