Center for East Asia Policy Studies

[In speaking of the joint statement President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed at the Singapore Summit] That laid a very shaky foundation on which to build any substantive working level negotiations, and I think if we trace the genealogy of where we are now the roots are in that very weak Singapore summit.

[Kim Jong Un] has not been shy about purging, demoting, shuffling senior officials -- numbering in the hundreds since he came to power in December 2011 -- and instilling fear in the North Korean populace, but also among the elite who rely on his good will for their survival. [Because of Kim Jong Un's tight control of power, Kim Jong Nam -- like most North Koreans who live outside the country -- probably have little] access to the innermost workings of the Kim regime, much less on decision-making on the most sensitive issues, such as the nuclear weapons program.

[U.S. President Donald Trump took a public stance against the use of CIA informants to spy on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying it would not happen on his watch and possibly taking away a valuable tool of the U.S. intelligence community.] The president should understand that to keep the nation safe, the CIA needs to be able to do its job gathering and analyzing intelligence that will support the full range of diplomatic, military, and economic policies and initiatives.