After months of anticipation, the summit between President Donald J. Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has ended.
Trump’s negotiation with Kim Jong Un is an American first, as no other diplomat has been able to succeed with the task. Trump left the summit confident and proud of his “very special bond” with the North Korean leader, but not every American felt the same. Instead, they worried about summit’s vague full statement, some believing Trump traded “something for nothing.”
You gotta give up something to get nothing.
The new Art of the Deal.
— Peter W. Singer (@peterwsinger) June 12, 2018
While Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his commitment to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, critics pointed out that there was no concrete plan of action set out to fulfill this promise. In fact, Kim Jong Un’s commitment did not expand beyond what he said in April when he met with the South Korean President, Moon Jae-in.
“It’s imperative that we actually get action here, not just photo ops,” Minority leader Chuck Schumer said, perThe Guardian. “Unfortunately the entire document is short on details...It is worrisome, very worrisome, that this joint statement is so imprecise.”
Trump, however, believes the summit will result in Kim Jong Un “de-nuking the whole place,” and rather quickly.
TRUMP: "...he’s de-nuking, I mean he’s de-nuking the whole place. It’s going to start very quickly. I think he’s going to start now."@GStephanopoulos sits down exclusively with @realDonaldTrump on the historic meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un: https://t.co/Z6pvzS8jddpic.twitter.com/hLFn8oNGe3
— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 12, 2018
In return for North Korea’s denuclearization, Trump promised he would “provide security guarantees” to North Korea.
As there aren’t strict guidelines and time-enforced plans for the North Korea denuclearization, the outcome of the summit may not be known for years, maybe even decades. Here’s to hoping we see the “lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula” sooner rather than later.