It’s been two months since President Trump shook hands with Kim Jong-un at the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. Despite the lack of advancement, the Trump administration remains convinced that their negotiating efforts with the North Korean leader are positive.
Recent short-range missile launches triggered a response from the Democrats and they wrote a letter to President Trump requesting immediate action against Kim Jong-un.
This letter comes amidst Trump’s claims stating that the missile launches were not a cause for concern. According to The Washington Post, White House officials have refused to issue a comment on increasing threats.
High profile meetings make no progress in negotiations
As mentioned by Reuters, the president’s meetings with the dictator have made no real progress in bringing more peace to the world. An official in the Trump administration states that US officials have made several recent attempts to contact Pyongyang. The Washington Post reports that the US has not been able to speak with anyone, and their efforts have failed.
To continue, Korea expert, Jean H. Lee, North Korea has expressed uncertainty in meeting the deadline their leader set for reaching an agreement with the US. They validated this uncertainty when Kim launched the missiles. Regardless, President Trump remains firm in his beliefs that the negotiations are going well.
Many government officials in the Senate see Trump’s meetings as “photo opportunities” according to Reuters. Senator Bernie Sanders feels the President is weakening the State Department by not moving forward in a positive direction with Kim Jong-un.
North Korea ignores U.S. efforts despite negotiations
The Democrats are urging Trump to hold North Korea accountable for its actions. The Washington Post reports that the Democrats are requesting Trump enforces rules for successful negotiation and cooperation with North Korea.
They feel that North Korea needs these expectations to have successful diplomacy between the two nations.
Since the summit in February, neither side has budged in their respective positions to move forward. North Korea requested economic relief in exchange for closing one of its major nuclear facilities. On the other hand, President Trump demanded that North Korea give up all nuclear weapon programs. Reuters reports that North Korea has since gone against their commitments made in previous meetings with the President.
As a result of recent events, US officials fear another crisis unless President Trump takes immediate action. Will President Trump take this letter seriously?