Leader of North Korea Kim Jong-un has given orders to his staff to prepare for another political summit with United States President Donald Trump.
The North Korean leader has said that he will “wait with patience and in good faith” in order to reach a mutual understanding with the United States.
However, the political relationship between the United States and North Korea has thawed; with respective leaders remaining opposed to each other on major issues since their last meeting. Most significantly, talks have stagnated over Mr Kim’s pledge for denuclearisation, with Mr Trump unclear on how to incentivise his counterpart to take necessary measures to realise this goal.
North Korean media reported that Mr Kim received a letter from his US counterpart which was collected by a North Korean envoy visiting Mr Trump last week. Following the meeting with the North Korean envoy, Mr Trump revealed that he and Mr Kim would likely meet towards the end of February.
North Korean news said that Mr Kim was satisfied with the result of the envoy’s meeting with President Trump and praised him on his “unusual determination” in seeking further negotiations “with a great interest in the second summit”.
Negotiations regarding nuclear disarmament have not advanced since the first summit in Singapore last year, which only resulted in a vague pledge for denuclearisation from Mr Kim. There was also a commitment from both nations to attempt to create a lasting peace around the Korean Peninsula.
The most concrete promise made by Mr Kim was to discontinue a program creating long-range missiles capable of reaching the United States. This came after fears around the US that North Korean missiles could reach mainland targets and even resulted in the reinstatement of a Cold War era nuclear attack siren in Hawaii.
In return for these steps towards peace, North Korea is seeking for UN sanctions to be lifted and for better relations with the West in order to reignite their nation’s stagnant economy.