Heather Nauert, State Department spokeswoman, told the media that the U.S. has three goals to meet. These goals include security assurances, complete denuclearization of North Korea, and the U.S. soldiers’ remains repatriation killed in the Korean War.
Nauert said that the U.S. policy hasn’t changed. She was asked why the U.S. officials seem like they have backed away from an agreement that covered irreversible, complete, and verifiable denuclearization.
Hedging Our Bets
Other officials acknowledge that talks with North Korea are still tenuous. Many suspect Kim Jong Un of buying time while he continues to develop weapons in secret. It’s possible that he will eventually accept a denuclearization deal to gain American concessions while keeping a stock of weapons to use later.
Others don’t want to push the North Korean too far too quickly for fear that he will back out of any deal. They want to leave room for compromise to ensure that negotiations are a success.
