In his State of the Union Address, President Donald Trump promised a “historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula” when he meets North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, in Hanoi at the end of February. North Korea has demanded the U.S. begin lifting sanctions and pressure, “or else.” U.S. intelligence chiefs testified that North Korea has no intention of abandoning its nuclear weapons. So what will the second U.S.-DPRK summit produce? Nearly eight months after the two leaders agreed to “work towards complete denuclearization,” there is very little progress to show — North Korea continues to expand its nuclear arsenal, and sanctions are still in place.
The Asia Society will hold a discussion just days after the planned Vietnam Summit, with Asia Society Policy Institute’s Kevin Rudd and Daniel Russel. Will the world see North Korea begin taking meaningful steps to end its threatening nuclear and missile programs? Or will Kim succeed in gaining some relief from sanctions and cancellation of U.S. military exercises in return for more promises?
Purchase tickets here: https://tickets.asiasociety.org/events/trump,%20kim,%20and%20the%20viet…
Watch live webcast: https://asiasociety.org/new-york/live-webcast
Speakers
The Hon. Kevin Rudd is inaugural President of the Asia Society Policy Institute. He served as 26th Prime Minister of Australia (2007 to 2010, 2013) and as Foreign Minister (2010 to 2012). He is a Distinguished Fellow at Chatham House and the Paulson Institute, and a Distinguished Statesman with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is also a member of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization’s Group of Eminent Persons.
Daniel Russel is Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service at the U.S. Department of State, he most recently served as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. He served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs, where he helped formulate President Obama’s strategic rebalance to the Asia Pacific region.