NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/SUMMIT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “There were encouraging signs leading up to the second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. For his part, Trump signaled a subtle but important shift in his approach toward North Korea’s denuclearization — repeatedly saying, ‘Speed is not important to me’ and ‘I’m in no rush.’ This indicated Trump finally was beginning to accept what most nonproliferation experts have been saying all along: That denuclearization of North Korea will be a long and complex process that may last over a decade. The good vibes continued through the summit, as the usually reclusive Kim showed signs of opening up. Responding directly to questions from American journalists, Kim said if he wasn’t willing to denuclearize, ‘I wouldn’t be here right now.’ Heady talks abounded that a peace declaration was a real possibility, putting US and North Korea on a path toward finally ending the Korean War, which is approaching its seventh decade. Then, suddenly, it was all for naught. The second day of the summit was cut short, and the two leaders left with nothing to show for it.”
–S. Nathan Park, “The pressure is on Kim Jong Un after failure in Hanoi,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, February 28, 2019 11:41 pm