The Guardian: US Urges North Korea on “Irreversible” Steps to Denuclearization

Donald Trump’s national security advisor John Bolton expects North Korea to show “concrete and tangible evidence” on denuclearization prior to any formal easing of sanctions and political pressure on the state. With planning underway for a summit between Trump and North Korean President Kim Jong-un, Bolton confirmed that Pyongyang’s commitment to total and “irreversible” denuclearization was paramount: “What we want to see from them is evidence that it’s real and not just rhetoric.” As Ed Pilkington notes for the Guardian, Bolton has remained reticent to go into precise details of the US summit strategy, but has also stated that North Korean ballistic missile and biological weapons programs, alongside the abduction of Japanese and South Korean citizens remain critical talking points. –YaleGlobal