Will Trump and Kim Jong-un meet again? This is the million-dollar question after President Trump lauded his ‘very good relationship’ with Kim and ordered a scaling back of US-South Korean military exercises earlier this week.

Hours later, Trump elusively mentioned that the North Korean despot had responded ‘positively’ to his overtures. Another rendezvous between the two leaders cannot be dismissed, especially with Kim Jong-un in a stronger position now than during the first Trump administration. But unlike during the Trump 1.0 years, which saw three meetings between Kim and the President, things are different now. Back then, neither leader had met the other before; kindling a bromance was a novelty. Now, however, it will be a case of déjà vu. Even if Trump’s charm offensive bears fruit, Kim will want to ensure he is in the driving seat.

When, on 12 June 2018, Trump and Kim met for the first time in Singapore, it was an occasion that very nearly didn’t happen. Weeks before the summit, tempers had flared. North Korea abruptly severed its then-ongoing high-level dialogue with South Korea after US-South Korean military exercises had taken place. Soon after, Trump pulled out of the summit after North Korea affirmed its status as a nuclear weapons state. Pyongyang sought to regain the US’s attention by partially blowing up tunnels at its nuclear test site at Punggye-ri. It worked. Eleven days before the date of the summit, Trump agreed that it would go........

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