The Serious Trust Deficit Between Washington and Pyongyang

OPINION — Two senior U.S. military commanders in the Indo-Pacific area this week questioned whether North Korea would ever denuclearize, just 12 days before the next scheduled summit in Hanoi between President Donald Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un.

While Trump has repeatedly said that “things are going very well with North Korea,” Admiral Philip S. Davidson, Commander, United States Indo-Pacific Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that it “is unlikely that Korea will give up all of its nuclear weapons or production capabilities, but seeks to negotiate partial denuclearization in exchange for U.S. and international concessions.”