US-North Korea breakthrough ends nuclear stalemate?

A face-to-face meeting, if it takes place, would be historic, the first between the leaders of two long-time rivals who have fought each other and repeatedly threatened to destroy each other.

But the event also carries many risks, given the unpredictable nature of the Pyongyang regime and the complex nuclear issue.

According to the Chicago Tribune, in a statement sent to reporters at the White House, South Korean National Security Director Chung Eui-yong emphasized that the North Korean leader expressed "his eagerness to meet President Trump as soon as possible" and that Trump agreed.

It was not immediately clear where the meeting would take place, with South Korean officials later announcing a date of late May.

Kim Jong-un has not left North Korea since taking power in 2011, and few foreign officials have visited the reclusive country. Pyongyang is currently under multiple sanctions, from the United Nations and several countries, because of its ambitions to build ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.

According to Mr. Chung, the North Korean leadership agreed to "stop nuclear and missile tests" and accepted the joint US-South Korea military exercises as a reality that "must continue." In the past, North Korea often strongly opposed US-South Korea military exercises, considering them an invasion rehearsal and often responded with threats and missile tests.

The South Korean envoy also praised Mr. Trump's "leadership," saying that "his policy of maximum pressure and international solidarity have brought us to this juncture today." He affirmed that South Korea, the United States and their allies will continue to fully and resolutely implement the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and not repeat the mistakes of the past.

A White House official later described the South Korean official's announcement that President Trump accepted Kim Jong Un's invitation as showing the level of close coordination between the two countries on this important topic.

On Twitter shortly afterwards, Mr. Trump expressed cautious optimism when writing: "Mr. Kim Jong-un has discussed with South Korean representatives denuclearization, not just freeze. During this period, North Korea has also not tested missiles. Significant progress has been made but sanctions will remain until an agreement is reached. Meeting is being planned."

White House aides were not expecting much from the surprise announcement. A senior official commented that "President Trump has made it clear from the beginning that he is not ready to reward North Korea in exchange for dialogue. But he is willing to accept this invitation to meet, allowing and sincerely hoping that North Korea will act on the words conveyed through the South Korean envoy."

Since the early 1990s, the United States and its allies have tried to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program, but every negotiation has ultimately failed. The chances of success this time may be slim.

North Korea successfully tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile in September, which appears to have the range to reach the United States. Washington also believes Pyongyang is rapidly moving toward the ability to mount a nuclear warhead on a missile.

In a statement, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump would accept an invitation to meet with Kim Jong-un at a yet-to-be-determined place and time. "We are committed to denuclearizing North Korea. That means sanctions and maximum pressure will continue."

The details are still too vague to determine whether a restoration of relations is possible, according to Victor Cha, a former US National Security Council official.

“The issue is what we are putting on the table. Sanctions? Normalization? Peace treaty?” Mr. Cha wrote on Twitter.

Since the South Korean delegation returned on March 6 from their meeting with Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang, there have been some surprisingly positive developments, but nothing is certain. At the meeting, Kim proposed to halt missile and nuclear tests while the dialogue took place, and pledged to denuclearize if his government’s safety was guaranteed.

And in a sign of the rapid diplomatic progress, the North Korean leader will meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in in April - the third meeting between the two countries' leaders since the end of the Korean War in 1953.

Earlier this week, Mr. Trump sounded cautiously optimistic about dialogue with North Korea, expressing hope that the North Koreans were sincere in their offer to negotiate. But he said he was prepared to go “any path necessary.”