Washington (CNN) With the proposed June 12 summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the balance, the Pentagon has made public a damning assessment of Kim's regime that concludes its primary function is to ensure "perpetual Kim family rule" at the expense of the well-being of the North Korean people. The report differs from Trump's public assessment of Kim. Nonetheless it provides the latest detailed public assessment from the Trump administration of Kim's weapons program and his potential motivations for maintaining power in advance of a potential summit. The assessment concludes that Kim's regime "seeks to maintain control over a populace that is decreasingly reliant on it. The Pentagon says the Kim regime "no longer provides basic goods and services outside the capital and major cities," and relies on ideological intimidation to maintain order.

Source: CNN May 23, 2018 21:11 UTC