A historic meeting between North Korea and the United States has been set for June 12, 2018, in Singapore. If it happens, it will be the first time a sitting United States President met with a North Korean Leader.

    The meeting is not guaranteed.  In fact, recently Trump cancelled the summit, referencing the “tremendous anger and open hostility” of recent North Korean public statements. A senior official from the Trump Administration elaborated on the cancellation, citing “a profound lack of good faith” exhibited by the North Koreans in the run-up to the meeting. The official told reporters that there was a series of “broken promises” from Pyongyang, including getting “stood up” when the deputy chief of staff was sent to Singapore ahead of the summit to meet with North Korean Diplomats.

    While the narrative of the Trump White House depicted North Korea as uncooperative and disrespectful, recent actions from the North Korean Government called that narrative into question. North Korea destroyed a nuclear testing facility and released three American Prisoners, two actions that seemed to demonstrate good faith.

    Apparently, the prospect of the meeting was not completely lost as even after Trump cancelled the summit, he was optimistic that the meeting could still occur. Hearing from Trump that hope still existed, the North Korean government released a conciliatory statement of their own, saying they hoped Trump would reconsider. The gesture was not lost on the President, who tweeted out saying “the warm and productive statement from North Korea” could lead “hopefully to long and enduring prosperity and peace.”

    Trump’s diplomacy with North Korea is unprecedented. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the world reacts to the open dialogue the United States has started with the North and how North Korea proceeds with their emerging seat on the world stage.