Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations, South Korean President Moon Jae-in defended the ongoing denuclearization talks with North Korea, saying he believes Kim Jong Un is serious about denuclearization.
President Moon added that he believes that this round of diplomacy is different from previous efforts, because it is a leader-down process, and top leaders like President Trump, Kim, and himself have all publicly gone on record with their own positions.
Denuclearization was “a promise made in front of the whole world” by both Kim and Trump, and Moon says that he believes that makes the promise much more likely to be kept. There remains considerable Western skepticism for the talks.
Previous diplomatic efforts often started at an international level, and were addressed by faceless bureaucrats. There was a lot less at stake in those cases, because the loss of reputation for foreign diplomats is a lot less significant than a top leader reneging on a promise.
Only a stupid leader would give up those nukes before the US gives up its nukes.