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Heading into 2020, Trump Defends Faltering North Korea Talks as a Win

William Gallo

   SEOUL - North Korea may have stormed away from nuclear talks with the
   United States, set an end-of-year ultimatum, and fired missiles at a
   record pace in the second half of this year. But that is not stopping
   U.S. President Donald Trump from portraying his outreach to North
   Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a major foreign policy achievement as the
   2020 U.S. presidential election campaign gains momentum.

   A Trump campaign email sent out this week included North Korea in a
   list of eight "HUGE wins" during Trump's first term in office. The
   fundraising email, signed by Trump, claimed that the president has
   "initiated the denuclearization of North Korea."

   Experts immediately disputed the claim. Not only has North Korea failed
   to give up a single nuclear weapon, Pyongyang has likely produced
   enough fissile material for perhaps up to 18 more nuclear weapons since
   Trump first met Kim in June 2018, estimates Vipin Narang, a nuclear
   expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

   Things may soon get more tense. Last month, North Korea issued a veiled
   warning it could resume longer-range missile or nuclear tests. And the
   North has been loudly emphasizing its end-of-year deadline for Trump to
   offer more concessions in nuclear talks.

   The situation poses a dilemma for Trump: how to handle a signature
   foreign policy priority -- one Trump claimed to have already solved
   immediately after his first meeting with Kim -- when the situation on
   the Korean peninsula appears to be deteriorating by the week.

   Trump and Kim may decide to maintain some version of the status quo,
   relying on their personal relationship to limit tensions. But North
   Korea appears adamant about forcing Trump's hand, said Jeffrey
   Robertson, a professor at Seoul's Yonsei University.

   "The Trump administration faces a choice: a weak agreement that
   solidifies North Korea's gains, offers more and keeps the calm until
   November 3rd, or a return to 'fire and fury,'" Robertson said.

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