Why, at the second Kim-Trump summit, optics could matter just as much as outcomes | NK News
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September 22, 2026Sep 22, 2026

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Why, at the second Kim-Trump summit, optics could matter just as much as outcomes

For two such image-conscious leaders, the photo-ops are just as important as the joint statement

A second summit between DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump looms. With just days to go until the two leaders meet in Hanoi, DPRK watchers and pundits are scrambling to make predictions about what to expect from the talks and what kind of new relationship might emerge.

But beyond talk of sanctions relief, nuclear concessions, and end of war declarations, almost just as important will be the optics of the summit: the photo-ops, the tours of the city, the post-meeting press conferences (should they take place), and, of course, the all-important first handshake.

This is especially