Don’t Over-Hype the Trump-Kim Summit

Pyongyang, North Korea – July 27, 2011: The Kim Il-Sung Square is named after the founding leader of the DPRK. It opened in August 1954. The square is located on the west bank of the Taedong River, directly opposite of the Juche Tower. The square is the common gathering place for North Korea’s massive military parades. The marks on the ground serve to position the soldiers and units during these parades.

Posted: April 1st, 2018

By Thomas Cynkin

Dr. Thomas Cynkin is Vice President at the Daniel Morgan Graduate School, and Adjunct Professor of Economics at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. Cynkin previously headed the Washington Office of Fujitsu Ltd. as Vice President and General Manager. A former Foreign Service Officer, he served seven years as a Japanese-speaking diplomat in Japan, and was the Asian affairs advisor to two Deputy Secretaries of State and two US Ambassadors to the UN.

Public reactions to prospects for a breakthrough at a Trump-Kim summit are proving a triumph of hope over experience. North Korea has been feeling the heat from the Trump administration’s effective “maximum pressure” campaign, and has every incentive to gut its momentum, or reverse it.

In response, Kim Jong Un has been playing a weak hand well with his charm offensive. His Olympic diplomacy greatly relieved South Korean officials fearful of North Korean efforts to disrupt the games, leading almost to a sense of euphoria in Seoul. (They even picked up the tab for their North Korean visitors’ hotel bills and incidentals, to the tune of around $2.7 million.)

Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national security-focused expert insight by becoming a Cipher Brief Subscriber+ Member.