Official-level US-North Korea talks remain essentially a non-starter, so all eyes are now on the upcoming second summit between President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un to take the dialogue, which they kicked off in Singapore last June, to the next level.
Mr Trump has shown that he can break away from policy orthodoxy. While Washington's stated objective is denuclearisation of North Korea, many Pyongyang watchers believe he could sign a peace agreement (the Korean War has not officially ended) and start withdrawing US troops based in South Korea.
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