COULD THIS BE TRUE? – AT 2:08 P.M. ET:   Korea has been off the front page, but it's still, and will continue to be, one of the most critical international stories.  A story is now running that seems to inspire optimism.  We'll report it, with a warning that we cannot verify how solid it is, and that similar stories in the past have fallen short.  From Daily Mail: 

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un will to get rid of all the rogue state's nuclear weapons, according to an agreement at a summit today.

The hermit kingdom will abolish all nuclear materials and facilities to achieve 'complete' denuclearisation, South Korean President Moon Jae-in has claimed after a meeting earlier today.  

Kim and US President Donald Trump pledged to work towards denuclearisation at their landmark June summit in Singapore, but the agreement was short on specific details. 

Negotiations have made little headway since, with the North refusing to declare its nuclear weapons and facilities or agree to a concrete timeline.

Moon emphasised Kim's resolve to abandon nuclear and missile programmes, that the North pursued in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions, and focus on the economy if regime security is guaranteed.

After his third summit in Pyongyang, Moon said the North was ready to invite international experts to watch the dismantling of a key missile site and would close the main Yongbyon nuclear complex if Washington took reciprocal actions.

North Korea could have as many as 60 nuclear weapons, the South said after a summit earlier this month.

According to South Korean government reports, North is believed to have produced 110 lbs of weaponised plutonium - enough for at least eight bombs. 

COMMENT:  The key phrase is, "...if Washington took reciprocal actions."  What are those actions?  They're not defined, at least not in this story. 

Mike Pompeo was in North Korea just days ago, and reported that negotiations were making progress.  There are general plans for another summit between President Trump and Kim Jong-un.

We can have confidence that President Trump, unlike some of his predecessors, won't make a deal just to have a deal.  We can't know whether he'll succeed, but I'm glad the effort is being made with Mike Pompeo as secretary of state, and not a marshmallow.

October 12, 2018