Rather than being treated as a rogue regime bucking international laws, Kim is being treated as an equal by your peers. China has called for a phased, step-by-step approach to denuclearization under which Kim would get something for every step he took toward denuclearization. That's probably because South Korean President Moon Jae-in is moving ahead with economically lucrative inter-Korean integration plans. It has been reported that Japan is contemplating providing an aid package to North Korea to bring closure on the issue of North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens. The outstanding question is whether Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would pin that aid on North Korean denuclearization.

Source: CNN August 26, 2018 19:34 UTC