Trump and Kim Prepare for Second Round of Face-to-Face Negotiations

The second round of face-to-face negotiations between the President of the United States and the leader of North Korea will begin on March 8 in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. The new negotiations will continue until March 9. The last time the leaders of the two countries met was last spring in Singapore. The Singapore summit is considered historic as it brought together the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea for the first time during their administrations. During the Singapore meeting, the U.S. President and the North Korean leader agreed to take steps towards denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula; however, little progress has been made in disarming North Korea. Nevertheless, Pyongyang has refrained from conducting nuclear and missile tests during this time. Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim will discuss over dinner today in Hanoi. The North Korean leader arrived in Vietnam on Tuesday morning after his train traveled four thousand kilometers from North Korea to China. Donald Trump's plane also landed in Hanoi a few hours later on Tuesday evening. The official North Korean news agency reports that the leader of that country has reviewed the results of the working groups of the two countries in Hanoi. According to reports, the head of the North Korean working group, Kim Hyok-chol, and his American counterpart, Stephen Biegun, spent five days discussing and consulting to prepare the groundwork for a possible agreement between the two countries. The results of the negotiations of the two delegations will be reviewed during the meeting of the U.S. and North Korean leaders. The South Korean state news agency reports that during the consultations, the methods and necessary actions for disarmament and the responses to it were discussed. Among the potential steps for nuclear disarmament, the cessation of operations at the Yongbyon nuclear facility has been mentioned. The Yongbyon nuclear facility, located one hundred kilometers from the North Korean capital, has been the site of nuclear fissile material production for North Korea's nuclear tests from 2006 to 2017. During that time, Pyongyang conducted six nuclear weapon tests, the last of which was stronger than all previous ones. Since 2009, light water reactors have also been constructed at this facility. According to Yonhap, the South Korean state news agency, Pyongyang has demanded the easing of sanctions against North Korea in return. Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that "denuclearization (of North Korea) in a verifiable manner" remains the main goal of the U.S. government, and the White House has not made any new decisions regarding the status of sanctions. North Korean state media, which usually report news related to their leader with a delay, have directly reflected news and reports from Hanoi, similar to the previous summit in Singapore. Holding this summit in Hanoi is also of special importance for the Vietnamese government. Vietnam, which was once the site of one of the longest U.S. wars, has expanded its relations with Washington. The state newspaper "Vietnam News" states that Hanoi is presenting itself as a "reliable partner in the international arena" during this visit.