LAHORE: The United States (US)-North Korea summit is due to be held next week in Singapore.
National Security Advisor John Bolton and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pursued various diplomatic channels to propel a meeting between the US President Donald Trump and North Korean supremo Kim Jong Un.
Here’s a timeline of the events that led up to this:
1- Easter Weekend: CIA director secretly travelled to North Korea and meets with Kim to discuss the possibility of a summit.
2- April 17: The CIA director’s trip is made public.
3- May 9: Pompeo met with Kim again and North Korea released three American prisoners.
4- May 13: Bolton spoke to US media about the North Korean nuclear weapons program and suggested Libyan model of unilateral disarmament as a possible solution.
5- May 16: North Korea Foreign Affairs First Vice Minister Kim Kye Gwan called the suggestion “absurd”.
6- May 17: US President Donald Trump said Kim’s security would be guaranteed in whatever deal both the countries reach.
7- May 24: North Korea warned of nuclear engagement prompting Trump to withdraw from the summit.
8- May 25: Trump claimed of having “productive talks” while North Korea said it was open to talks.
9- May 30: US officials meet with their counterparts in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
10- June 1: Trump received a letter from Kim, delivered personally by Kim Yong Chol following which the US president announced that the summit was back on. He further said that the two leaders would meet in Singapore on June 12.