NORTH KOREA'S DEPRAVITY

   The conundrum facing Trump is how to address the inhuman evil of Kim’s regime while keeping the dictator at the negotiating table. This is not just a matter of Kim taking umbrage because Trump hassles him about mass executions.
   The North Korean regime has been so monstrous for so long that humanitarian reform is an existential threat to Kim’s survival – even if, as Trump seemed to imply in his post-summit remarks, Kim is personally uncomfortable his family legacy of brutality and truly wishes to change, or at least understands change is necessary to interface with the rest of the world.
   On the other hand, admitting the depths of his regime’s depravity and swiftly implementing comprehensive reforms would involve a tremendous loss of prestige for Kim and undermine the regime’s mythology, which holds the Kim dynasty as semi-divine spiritual and moral leaders for the entire Korean people.