South Koreans watched the historic meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sunday with a mixture of hope and skepticism, wondering whether it will be enough to relieve their biggest security concern — North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
The impromptu get-together at the inter-Korean border, where an armistice was signed 66 years ago to stop the fighting of a war that killed or injured millions, was Trump and Kim's third overall meeting and first since their summit in February in Hanoi, Vietnam, collapsed over disagreements over sanctions relief.
Some South Koreans said Sunday's meeting — which saw Trump briefly step into North Korean territory to become the first U.S. president to cross into the country — would help resolve a deadlock in nuclear negotiations and revive a positive atmosphere for peace.
We'll see. I'm skeptical that North Korea will agree to give up their nuclear weapons programs. We have a lot of history demonstrating that.
But we haven't seen this level of economic pressure on North Korea before.
Hopefully our military and our allies (and China?) have used all this time to really refine strike plans and defensive capabilities based on more intensive intelligence efforts, should the personal diplomacy falter.
If we do strike North Korea, nobody will be able to say we didn't try the peaceful route. Well, they won't be able to say that with any credibility.
