President Trump To Meet North Korea’s Kim Jong Un In May

In what comes as a surprise president Trump has accepted an invitation from the leader of one of the most isolated nations in the world, North Korea, Kim Jong Un who expressed a desire to meet the US president at the earliest. The North Korean leader penned the letter himself and sent it via the South Korean delegation which visited the White House on March 1, 2018.

The North Korean leader has expressed a desire to meet president Trump in May.

The North Korean leader has promised to refrain from conducting missile tests which had escalated the tensions between the US and his country. Pres. Trump responded to the letter by announcing that he would be meeting the leader in May. The White House announced that a date for the meeting would be given out just a couple of days ago. However, no further announcements have been made regarding the date of the meeting.

Can The Word Of the North Korean Leader Be Accepted At Face Value?

The world at large understands full well that the North Korean despot is not an individual that likes to stick by his words. North Korea has been conducting missile tests and even launched several ICBMs which are capable even of hitting America. Despite the sanctions imposed by the United Nations and the United States the North Korean leader has sternly refused to abide by the requests of the international community and curtail the development of nuclear arsenal.

The invitation for president Trump to visit North Korea was brought by the South Korean delegation which has recently established relations with its northern counterpart during the winter games. It is quite possible that North Korea is just making an attempt to ease some of the sanctions which have been imposed and considers an invitation to the president of the US the best way to move forward. The administration of the United States will do well to consider whether the North Korean leader is actually trying to make amends or is just putting up a show for the international community. The reputation of the North Korean leader is such that any word by him cannot be taken at face value.

Can the United States Benefit From the Visit By President Donald Trump?

Several if’s and but’s need to be considered before one can decide whether the United States will benefit from the visit to North Korea by President Trump. The president will initially have to ascertain whether the North Korean leader is actually serious about his commitments before deciding to lift some of the numerous sanctions which have been imposed on the country. This is not just a bilateral meeting between two heads of state but is one which has international ramifications. The international community must be taken into confidence before any agreements are made with the North Korean leader.

In a statement issued by the White House, Sarah Huckabee Sanders has already mentioned that the sanctions and maximum pressure on the North Korean government should continue to remain. Under the circumstances, the chances of a major breakthrough seem unlikely and the likelihood of the meeting ending in a stalemate is ominous.

If the meeting is a runaway success the United States can benefit immensely because of the vast mineral resources held by North Korea.

The United States can, however, benefit largely if the administration is willing to decrease the pressure and lift some of the sanctions which are already in place. North Korea is home to immense resources which are estimated to be over $6 trillion and any access to the resources will be highly beneficial for the United States. The world at large can also benefit from cheap labor from North Korea which in the present conditions is not widely available. Most importantly if the North Korean leader stays true to his word and if the US president is willing to guarantee it the meeting will make the world a safer place to live in.

China Will Have A Role to Play In the Meeting

Despite no information being available about whether the Chinese are also invited to the meeting it is certain that China will be looking forward to meddling around.

No information is available about whether the Chinese have been invited to the meeting between Kim Jong Un and Pres. Trump but it is certain that China will be meddling around to ensure the meeting isn’t a runaway success. China has much to lose if the United States and North Korea decide to shake hands in the spirit of friendship. China loses a huge sum of money which it generates from North Korea through cheap labor, nuclear proliferation, along with its influence on the North Korean leader. China wouldn’t want to let Pres. Trump bell the cat it had lovingly nurtured. Therefore any chances of the meeting succeeding will depend on some of the conditions mentioned in this article.

We can only wish Pres. Trump all success during his trip to North Korea with the rider that he needs to be extra careful and treat Kim Jong Un with the caution he deserves. The invitation forwarded by Kim Jong Un only expresses his desire to meet Pres. Trump along with some promises thrown by for good measure. However, going by past reputation the North Korean despot is unlikely to remain by his word and therefore the United States president should be acting with caution without giving any chances for mistakes to happen.