Before people get too carried away with Trump's alleged negotiating skills, behind all the television razzle-dazzle and hype, this agreement was a forgone conclusion and prearranged during previous diplomatic negotiations.

Despite Trump’s bravado and tough talk, neither side was really going to walk away from the well-choreographed and probably scripted media event.

It was just a convenient photo-op and popularity boost for both sides. It put Trump in the perceived position of a tough negotiator and reinforced Kim’s local power by elevating him to a higher global position.

Since the collapse of the 1994 Agreed Framework in 2006 and the labelling of North Korea as a member of The Axis of Evil, there was no scope for North Korea to be in any position to negotiate anything, especially the ending of the paranoia inducing decades-long South Korea/US War Games.

The advancing North Korean nuclear capability simply put them in a position to negotiate, which was probably their overall aim. They were never a serious military threat and not suicidal.

Trump is typically claiming sole credit but it was all down to diplomats behind the scenes – that’s how it really works.

It’s a bit like the Cuban Missile Crisis where the USSR threatened to put nukes into Cuba in retaliation for US Missiles installed in Turkey. After the dramatic Hollywood stand-off where the USSR backed down, the USA quietly went about removing their Turkish Missile Bases, but of course we never seem to mention that little wrinkle in the story.

In the end, Korea had an obvious win and Trump had a significant media event. Hopefully it will detract from his disastrous G7 experience.

Can Trump free the hundreds of thousands in North Korea's prison camps? doe he even want to/care? can he bring back the millions who died at the hands of its leader and his family? only if China says so can Trump do other than make his own B grade movie about a victory he never won

I'm beginning to suspect that Trump has a huge "Too Hard" basket. He's put the Iran deal into it, as well as the NAFTA, free trade, the South China Sea, perhaps the EU and NATO - and now all that fiddly stuff to do with Korea. It's just too complicated, so why not just junk it ?

Maybe 'Making America Great Again" means not giving much of a stuff about anywhere else ? Everybody else are just a pack of lying, cheating, thieving bastards anyway, out to get America, so why not ?

Joe

Trump pursues the Rambo method of declaring victory, it is just in his head zero has come out of his photo shoot and that is about all he will get unless CHINA and RUSSIA throw him a bone

Trump has also demonstrated that any deals made with the USA are inherently worthless and can be nullified on just a whim - not just deals made by his predecessors but also ones made personally by him, as his business reputation has shown.

Running a country like a CEO and not as a true leader will be a problem for all. He's bankrupted at least 4 of his businesses and walked away leaving others financially devastated but always managed to protect himself.

Dear mhaze,

Tut, tut, my ignorant friend.

For your information when the US conducted its war games it deploys around 12,000 US troops on the peninsular. It were these which raised the ire of Kim and caused such deep concern. They were what he believed made up the potential invasion force practicing amphibious landings not far from the border.

No more war games mean no need to deploy these 12,000.

Trump also said; “We have right now 32,000 soldiers in South Korea, and I’d like to be able to bring them back home. But that’s not part of the equation right now.”

You wrote;

“They've just completed their latest games and the next would be up to a year away.”

More ignorance old chap.

The next war game is the Ulchi-Freedom Guardian which happens each August or September and last year involved 17,500 US troops and 50,000 South Korean troops so just a couple of months away.

“Hours after Mr. Trump’s announcement in Singapore, American troops in Seoul said they are still moving ahead with a military exercise this fall — Ulchi Freedom Guardian — until they receive guidance otherwise from the chain of command.
Lt. Col. Jennifer Lovett, a United States military spokeswoman in South Korea, said in an email that the American command there “has received no updated guidance on execution or cessation of training exercises — to include this fall’s schedule Ulchi Freedom Guardian.”
“We will continue with our current military posture until we receive updated guidance from the Department of Defense,” she added.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/12/world/asia/trump-military-exercises-north-south-korea.html

Clueless really does sum you up doesn't it.