Two years since Singapore Summit; no progress on denuclearization

싱가포르 북미정상회담 2주년...끝나지 않은 '핵 담판'

Today, June 12th, 2020... marks exactly two years since the leaders of United States and North Korea met for their historic first summit in Singapore.
Despite hopes the face-to-face between President Trump and Kim Jong-un would eventually lead to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,... there's been little in the way of progress over the past couple of years.
Lee Seung-jae has more.
June 12th, 2018.
It was two years ago today,... that U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un famously met in Singapore,... for what was dubbed at the time as the 'nuclear talks of the century'.
"The history has held us back, and false prejudices and practices sometimes covered our eyes and ears, but we overcame everything and came all the way here."
At the end of the summit,... the two leaders released a joint statement committing the North to "work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" in return for U.S. security guarantees.
Trump and Kim also agreed to work together to improve bilateral relations, build a lasting and stable peace regime on the peninsula, and repatriate the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War.
Fast forward eight months since their cordial summit in Singapore,... the two leaders met again,... this time in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Despite hopes the two sides would come to an agreement on a historic nuclear deal that would eventually lead to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,... there was 'no deal',... and denuclearization talks have been at a standstill ever since.
Most recently,... when the U.S. State Department expressed disappointment over North Korea's decision to cut off all communications with South Korea,... Pyeongyang warned Washington not to meddle in inter-Korean matters,... and instead focus on their "own problems".
However,.. the legacy of the Singapore Summit has not completely disappeared,... as North Korea has not pushed the limits of strategic provocations,... such as ICBM launches or nuclear tests.
Marking the two year anniversary,... the U.S. State Department on Thursday issued a statement saying Washington remains committed to implementing the agreement reached between the two leaders,... and it's willing to be flexible.
But there seems to be little time,... with President Trump focused on the 2020 presidential election in November.
While there's uncertainty over who the regime will be facing in the White House in January 2021, it's unlikely the North will be keen to start meaningful talks until they know where they stand.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.