With opponents in Congress and some in the media scoffing at the historic Trump-Kim summit, and its goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is aiming to assure people that the deal is not only possible, but likely.
Pompeo and Kim Jong Un
Pompeo, who has met with Kim Jong Un repeatedly in the lead-up to the talks, says he was personally assured by Kim that he is fully prepared to denuclearize. Skepticism aside, there is little reason to really doubt this.
In late May, North Korea dismantled their lone nuclear test site. On Thursday, North Korea also razed a missile testing facility, another major confidence builder ahead of the talks. North Korea has been very public about their intention to abandon their nuclear arsenal as part of a peace process.
North Korea has always presented its nuclear arsenal as a hedge against a US attack. That means that the big concession the US has to make it taking the military option off of the table. As much as some hawks oppose that idea, it’s a remarkably small price to pay for dismantling a nuclear state’s entire arsenal.
