11.27.2018 - By The Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Since the June summit between American President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, progress on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula has been sporadic. Both leaders have made cautious moves aimed at trust building, while North and South Korea have concurrently taken even bolder steps toward conciliation. Still, the fundamental points of contention remain: North Korea has nuclear weapons, sanctions on Pyongyang persist, and a peace treaty to end the Korean War—which began in 1950—has yet to be signed. As the US and North Korea make plans for a second Trump-Kim summit, will expectations for a lasting peace be met, or will recent progress prove only an illusion? How much trilateral cooperation is occurring behind the scenes? Are we at the brink of an ultimate deal, or an inevitable disappointment?