What Trump’s brief visit to North Korea means

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The current president of the United States became the first in history to step on North Korean soil. Will negotiations proceed?

Today, at 3:46 p.m. local time, Donald Trump became the first active president of the United States to visit North Korea, when he was invited by his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong Un, to cross the border from South Korea. Trump walked 20 steps in what is effectively classified as hostile territory, posed for press photographers in the company of Kim, and then returned to the South Korean side to meet with the president of this country, Moon Jae-in.

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"It's good to see you again (…) I never expected to meet you in this place," Kim told Trump through an interpreter. To which Trump replied: "It's a great moment, it's a great moment." Both Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton have visited Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, but only after having left the presidential office.

The episode was of symbolic importance for history, because it could be categorized as the moment of greatest cordiality between two countries that share a lasting enmity. Beyond its importance, its media impact will serve to revitalize the negotiations around the denuclearization that both countries have been holding since 2018, and which until recently were perceived as stagnant.

A push in the right direction for negotiation

The meeting, which was proposed by Trump via Twitter, would be only for the presidents to share a handshake, but the two were together for about an hour, and that was enough to guarantee the continuity of negotiations, as well as to reaffirm the provision from both countries to diplomacy.

There were perhaps two immediate consequences of the meeting between Trump and Kim in the demilitarized zone. First, Trump expressed his desire to invite President Kim to the White House, an event that would also be historically important for both countries. In the second place, Trump and Kim agreed on this occasion to revive the negotiations through negotiating teams, which would summarize their work within the next few weeks.

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This meeting also defines Donald Trump's style of foreign policy, which through the high profile of the occasion, the place where it was carried out, and the extensive television coverage, managed to put the negotiations back on track. Now, Trump is faced with a cooperative North Korea, and will have to keep the negotiations alive so that this iconic moment is more than just a ceremonial act for the cameras.

Varied reactions from the Democrats

Many were surprised by the apparent spontaneity with which the meeting between Trump and Kim was organized and took place. From the same logistics team of President Trump, which had to perform a difficult task in hours to coordinate and secure everything to make the greeting possible, to his political rivals back in Washington.

The Vermont Democratic senator and presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, said he "sees no problem" with the meeting, but stressed that he wants the moment to transcend photography and the media coverage. "I do not want it to be just an opportunity for a photo, all the media in the world converged there."

Another Trump rival for the 2020 election, Joe Biden, also gave statements following the event, but was much more unhappy than Sanders with the event. In a press release, Biden denounced that "Trump's grooming of dictators on the backs of the interests and national security of the United States is one of the most dangerous ways in which he diminishes us on the international stage and subverts our values as nation".

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is also in the presidential race, disqualified the meeting on Twitter saying: "Our president should not waste the influence of the United States in demonstrations for cameras and the exchange of love letters with a ruthless dictator. Instead, we should deal with North Korea through principled diplomacy that promotes US security, defends our allies and protects human rights."

LatinAmerican Post | Pedro Bernal
Translated from "Lo que significa la breve visita de Trump a Corea del Norte"