I was asked by a member of my graduate institution’s board of trustees for my observations on President Trump’s recent offer of coronavirus assistance to North Korea. Here’s an edited version of how I responded:

“Trump’s letter to Kim Jong Un about COVID-19 assistance was a good gesture and it keeps their personal relationship going, but should not be taken literally. Trump’s purpose is to keep the North Korean issue out of the limelight until past November, and in part, this was an easy way to do that. North Korea is very selective about medical aid (as opposed to food aid) because it doesn’t want outside health experts to see the true extent of their problem. And any U.S. offer of medical aid would likely require waiving of specific sanctions by the UN; the sanctions against North Korea are very pervasive, making it excruciatingly difficult for even NGOs like Doctors Without Borders to get wanted equipment and medicine in. And the President would not like the appearance of some sanctions being exempt because it would look like the U.S. is loosening up its pressure. So it’s a Catch-22: The U.S. is willing to help North Korea with the virus, but to actually provide meaningful help, North Korea would, in effect, first have to fully denuclearize and only then would sanctions be lifted, which the DPRK will not do. And there is no possibility of an interim deal with Trump — just like in real estate, where the sale of a property is a one-shot deal, not an ongoing business relationship. And yet the North is only willing to do incremental deals.”♦

See “U.N. Calls for Rolling Back Sanctions to Battle Pandemic” for the UN Secretary General’s perspective. And also this op-ed: “How Trump Can Change Sanctions to Allow Anti-Coronavirus Aid to North Korea.“