3/29/2018

NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/SOUTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump heralded a new trade agreement with South Korea at his first public appearance in nearly a week on Thursday [3-29-18], but then immediately suggested that he might delay finalizing it while negotiating with North Korea over its nuclear program…It was unclear what leverage Mr. Trump believed he could gain in the North Korea talks by delaying the deal with the South. The move could be an attempt by Mr. Trump to prod President Moon Jae-in of South Korea to hold a firm line with North Korea when talks begin over its nuclear program. Raj Shah, a White House spokesman, said in a statement that South Korea and the United States had reached an agreement ‘in principle.'”

-Katie Rogeres and Jim Tankersley, “Trump Heralds South Korea Trade Deal, Then Says He Might Delay It,” The New York Times online, Mar. 29, 2018