1. “Less than 1 Aircraft Carrier? The Cost of North Korea’s Nukes,” Voice of America, July 20, 2017, https://www.voanews.com/a/north-korea-nuclear-program-costs/3951886.html.
2. Based on confidential interviews in Seoul.
3. Melissa Chan, “Kim Jong Un’s Sister Is Making History at the Winter Olympics. Here’s What We Know About Her,” Time, February 9, 2018, http://time.com/5142290/kim-yo-jong-kim-jong-un-sister-winter-olympics.
4. Peter Baker and Choe Sang-Hun, “Trump Threatens ‘Fire and Fury’ Against North Korea if It Endangers U.S.,” New York Times, August 8, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/08/world/asia/north-korea-un-sanctions-nuclear-missile-united-nations.html.
5. Ibid.
6. Javier E. David, “Trump Administration Steps Up Pressure on North Korea, Says Choice of Force or Diplomacy ‘Up to the Regime,’” CNBC, October 1, 2017, https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/01/trump-tells-tillerson-not-to-waste-time-on-north-korea-talks-well-do-what-has-to-be-done.html.
7. Ali Vitali, “Trump Threatens to ‘Totally Destroy’ North Korea in First UN Speech,” NBC News, September 19, 2017, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-un-north-korean-leader-suicide-mission-n802596.
8. Ben Brimelow, “Trump Doesn’t Have a ‘Nuclear Button’—Here’s What He Would Do to Fire a Nuke,” Business Insider, January 3, 2018, https://www.businessinsider.com/does-trump-have-a-nuclear-button-2018-1.
9. Kanga Kong and Margaret Talev, “Trump Says His Nuclear Button Is Bigger than North Korea’s,” Bloomberg, January 2, 2018, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-03/trump-boasts-of-bigger-nuclear-button-in-retort-to-kim-jong-un.
10. Lee Min-jeong, “Jeonmun, buk Kim Jung Un 2018nyun shinnyunsa” [Complete transcript: North Korea’s Kim Jong Un’s 2018 New Year’s speech], Joongang Ilbo, January 1, 2018, https://news.joins.com/article/22250044.
11. Ibid.
12. Ibid.
13. Bae Hyun-jung, “Full Text of Moon’s Speech at the Korber Foundation,” Korea Herald, July 7, 2017, http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170707000032.
14. Ibid.
15. “Address by President Moon Jae-in at May Day Stadium in Pyongyang,” Cheongwadae, September 20, 2018, http://english1.president.go.kr/BriefingSpeeches/Speeches/70.
16. Ibid.
17. Charlie Campbell, “‘The Korean War Is Over.’ Kim Jong Un Begins ‘Writing a New History’ as the First North Korean Leader to Visit the South,” Time, April 27, 2018, http://time.com/5257062/north-korea-south-dmz-kim-jong-un-summit. The formal delegation roster for the North included nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam; Kim Yong Chol, vice chairman of the KWP and former head of the Reconnaissance General Bureau (the main intelligence agency), who was in charge of the operation that sank a South Korean vessel in April 2010; Choe Hwi, vice chairman of the KWP and head of the national sports organization; Ri Son Gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Nation; Ri Myong Suu, chief of the General Staff of the KPA; Ri Yong Ho, foreign minister; Ri Su Yong, vice party chairman of international affairs; and Pak Yong Sik, minister of the People’s Armed Forces. The South Korean delegation consisted of national security advisor Chung Eui-yong; director of the NIS Suh Hoon; unification minister Cho Myoung-gyon; chief of staff Im Jong-seok; Kang Kyung-wha, minister of foreign affairs; and defense minister Song Young-moo. For additional details, see Ji-weon Park, “North and South Korea Summit: Who’s Who in Each Delegation,” ABC News, April 26, 2018, https://abcnews.go.com/International/north-south-korea-summit-delegation/story?id=54751525.
18. Park Sang-ki, “Nambuk jeongsanghwedam gwanjeonbob 1tan, Kim Jong Uneui hyubsang jeolryak bunseok” [Point 1: assessing the South-North summit: examining Kim Jong Un’s negotiating strategy], Sisa Journal, April 30, 2018, http://www.sisajournal.com/journal/article/175081.
19. “Hanbandoeui pyunghwawa beonyeong, tongileul wihan Panmunjom seoneon” [Peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, the Panmunjom Declaration for Unification], Cheongwadae, April 27, 2018, https://www1.president.go.kr/articles/3138.
20. Ibid. It is critical to remember that all of the naval clashes in the Western Sea (Yellow Sea) were instigated by North Korea. The sinking of the ROK’s naval vessel Cheonan in April 2010 and the bombing of Yeonpyeong Island in December 2010 were also carried out by the North Korean navy and army. Although the Northern Limitation Line (NLL) was confirmed as the maritime boundary after the Korean War, North Korea has insisted on changing the NLL to narrow South Korea’s claims.
21. Kenneth B. Dekleva, “‘Getting Past No’ with Kim Jong Un: The Psychology of Negotiation, and Kim’s ‘Art of the Deal,’” 38 North, May 21, 2018, https://www.38north.org/2018/05/kdekleva052118.
22. Mark Landler, “Trump Pulls Out of North Korea Summit Meeting with Kim Jong Un,” New York Times, May 24, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/24/world/asia/north-korea-trump-summit.html.
23. Cited in Austin Bay, “How Trump’s ‘Maximum Pressure’ Strategy Got North Korea to the Table,” Observer, March 13, 2018, http://observer.com/2018/03/how-donald-trump-got-north-korea-open-to-giving-up-its-nuclearweapons.
24. Ashish Kumar Sen, “Trump and North Korea: From ‘Fire and Fury’ to Diplomacy,” Atlantic Council, March 9, 2018, https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/trump-and-north-korea-from-fire-and-fury-to-diplomacy.
25. “Joint Statement of President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at the Singapore Summit,” White House, June 12, 2018, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/joint-statement-president-donald-j-trump-united-states-america-chairman-kim-jong-un-democratic-peoples-republic-korea-singapore-summit.
26. Ibid.
27. Ibid.
28. Jennifer Williams, “Read the Full Transcript of Trump’s North Korea Summit Press Conference,” Vox, June 12, 2018, https://www.vox.com/world/2018/6/12/17452624/trump-kim-summit-transcript-press-conference-full-text.
29. “Joint Statement.”
30. “President Trump Sits Down with George Stephanopoulos: Transcript,” ABC News, June 12, 2018, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-trump-sits-george-stephanopoulos-transcript/story?id=55831055.
31. Donald J. Trump, “… back home where they belong…,” Twitter, January 24, 2019, 5:34 a.m., https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1088429823561814017.
32. Clint Work, “The US-North Korea Summit: All Flash, Little Substance,” The Diplomat, June 15, 2018, https://thediplomat.com/2018/06/the-us-north-korea-summit-all-flash-little-substance.
33. Lee Cheol-jae and Park Yong-han, “Olhae gukbangbaekseo sakjae jeonmang, jeonggwonttara bakkwineun pyohyeon” [This year’s defense white paper expected to excise the term ‘North Korean enemy,’ changing references to North Korea by new governments], Joongang Ilbo, August 22, 2018, https://news.joins.com/article/22906628.
34. Steve Herman, “Trump: No More Nuclear Threat from North Korea,” Voice of America, June 13, 2018, https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-no-more-nuclear-threat-from-north-korea-/4436759.html.
35. “North Korea Unlikely to Give Up Nuclear Weapons: U.S. Spy Chief Coats,” Reuters, January 29, 2019, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-northkorea-nuclear/north-korea-unlikely-to-give-up-nuclear-weapons-us-spy-chief-coats-idUSKCN1PN1Y7.
36. Rebecca Morin, “Pompeo Says North Korea Remains Nuclear Threat,” Politico, February 24, 2019, https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/24/pompeo-north-korea-nuclear-threat-1182560.
37. “Kim Jong Un’s Train Journey to Trump Summit Is a Nod to His Grandfather,” NBC News, February 26, 2019, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/kim-jong-un-s-train-journey-trump-summit-nod-his-n976076.
38. Amanda Macias, “Trump: Obama Told Me That He ‘Was So Close to Starting a Big War with North Korea,’” CNBC, February 15, 2019, https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/15/trump-obama-told-me-that-he-was-close-to-starting-a-big-war-with-north-korea.html.
39. Deirdre Shesgreen, “Trump: Obama Was Brink of ‘a Big War’ with North Korea. Not True, Ex-Obama Aides Say,” USA Today, February 15, 2019, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/02/15/ex-obama-aides-refute-trumps-claim-big-war-north-korea/2880839002/.
40. “Japan’s PM Nominated Trump for Nobel Peace Prize on U.S. Request: Asahi,” Reuters, February 16, 2019, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-trump-japan/japans-pm-nominated-trump-for-nobel-peace-prize-on-us-request-asahi-idUSKCN1Q6041.
41. Robin Wright, “After All the Swagger, Trump’s Talks with North Korea Collapse,” New Yorker, February 28, 2019, https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/after-all-the-swagger-trumps-talks-with-north-korea-collapse.
42. “Remarks by President Trump in Press Conference, Hanoi, Vietnam,” White House, February 28, 2019, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-press-conference-hanoi-vietnam.
43. Ibid.
44. Ibid.
45. Ibid.
46. Christine Hauser, “Responding to Trump, Otto Warmbier’s Parents Blame Kim Jong-un and ‘Evil Regime’ for Son’s Death,” New York Times, February 28, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/28/world/asia/trump-otto-warmbier.html.
47. Dartunorro Clark, “Trump Under Attack After Letting Kim Off the Hook for Warmbier’s Death,” NBC News, February 28, 2019, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-under-attack-after-letting-kim-hook-warmbier-s-death-n977731.
48. “Transcript: National Security Adviser John Bolton on ‘Face the Nation,’” CBS News, March 3, 2019, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/transcript-national-security-adviser-john-bolton-on-face-the-nation-march-3-2019.
49. Ibid.
50. Amy Held, “In Rare News Conference, North Korea Offers Its Own Version of Summit Collapse,” NPR, February 28, 2019, https://www.npr.org/2019/02/28/699006894/in-rare-news-conference-north-korea-offers-its-own-version-of-summit-collapse.
51. Ankit Panda, “What to Make of North Korean Threats to Withdraw from Diplomacy with the U.S.,” NK Pro, March 15, 2019, https://www.nknews.org/pro/what-to-make-of-north-korean-threats-to-withdraw-from-diplomacy-with-the-u-s.
52. David Welna, “Fact Check: U.S. and North Korea After Their Singapore Summit,” NPR, July 31, 2018, https://www.npr.org/2018/07/31/634387644/fact-check-u-s-and-north-korea-after-their-singapore-summit.