President Trump has gotten no love back yet from Kim Jong-un. He could turn to Xi Jinping, China’s leader, to help set up a summit when Mr. Xi visits Washington next week.
President Trump and Kim Jong-un on the North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone in 2019. For Mr. Trump, a summit with Mr. Kim would help him turn the spotlight away from the unpopular war against Iran and toward a leader-to-leader relationship that Mr. Trump has treasured since his first term.
The North Korean leader’s financial and diplomatic leverage rests on the brutal exploitation of his own people, from coal miners to diplomats, at home and abroad.
North Korea celebrated the 78th anniversary of its founding with a parade last week in Pyongyang, the capital. The country is now in one of the strongest positions it has ever been in, financially and diplomatically.
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