The President should go through with his talks—for the sake of three Americans and millions of North Koreans.
If President Donald Trump meets with Kim Jong-un, he will be the first sitting US president to confer with the head of the North Korean regime. The historic summit would give the President a chance to confront Kim face-to-face about his country’s severe human rights violations—which have concerned Christians, religious freedom advocates, and humanitarians for decades.
Trump’s not the only one with such an opportunity. US and South Korean officials are scheduled to meet in Finland this week with a North Korean diplomat, and Sweden is in talks to negotiate the release of three American citizens currently detained in North Korea. South Korea has now also proposed three-way talks with the US and North Korea, possibly at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) at the border.
The prospect of Trump’s meeting with North Korea has raised questions over what could be accomplished by coming together and concerns about the risks of reaching out to a country whose rhetoric and policy has long been hostile to the US.
While commentators around the world weigh in, I asked someone who knows the threat of North Korea like few others—John, a Christian refugee who escaped from the country.
Even though I work for Open Doors, an organization that has supported persecuted Christians for 60 years, I don’t hear from many people like John. Few North Koreans make it out of their home country, and those who do remain secretive to avoid retaliation on their family and friends.
This North Korean refugee had a warning for Trump and the American officials: “Do not underestimate Kim Jong-un.”
John went on to explain that even with the rest of the world buzzing about possible denuclearization, North Korea’s state-run ...
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