And for more on the Hanoi summit and what we can expect from here on out... Dr. Bong Young-shik, from the Yonsei Institute for North Korean Studies joins us in the studio today.
So good to see you.
Hello.
1- Let's start with what we heard from the Korean Central News Agency.... Pyeongyang's official news agency... on Friday.
It said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump..... have agreed to continue to discuss "significant" improvements in bilateral relations during their summit in Hanoi... and that the leaders saw their second summit as a (QUOTE-UNQUOTE) "good chance" to deepen mutual trust and upgrade relations,... adding that they promised to meet again for productive discussions.
What can we make of this?
1a- But this coverage of the summit by the KCNA doesn't really go hand-in-hand with North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong-ho's surprise press conference... during which Ri disputed claims by U.S. President Donald Trump.
2- So the summit collapse did come as a surprise.
Although not many expected a breakthrough.... we did expect the two leaders to sign a some kind of a joint declaration... instead it ended earlier than scheduled without the signing ceremony AND a planned working lunch.
What were your thoughts of the summit and how it ended?
3- What kind of position does this summit collapse put South Korea in?
What role can President Moon Jae-in play from here on out to continue the peace process?
4- So can we expect another Kim-Trump summit to take place anytime soon?
What could be in the works between the two sides from here on out?
Thank you so much for your insight today.
