September 21, 2023
Analysis

Obstacle to progress? What to make of U.S. inflexibility on DPRK sanctions relief

Observers weigh in on future prospects for relief - and what could change if rapprochement fails

With nearly six months since the Singapore summit, it’s becoming clear that sanctions are an increasingly problematic hurdle to diplomacy between North Korea and the United States.

On the surface, high-level diplomatic momentum between the two countries continues to play out. A second summit between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump is reportedly in the works and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet in New York with his counterpart Kim Yong Chol this week.