North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is eager to hold a second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. Since their first meeting in Singapore in June, Kim has consistently outmaneuvered his counterpart. Trump may still fancy himself a world-class dealmaker, but the truth is that Kim — like Russian President Vladimir Putin — has got Trump's number.
Kim's bonhomie (real or feigned) and promises of denuclearization have muted Trump's threats, brought the South Korean government closer to his side and eroded international sanctions against his regime. Kim has accomplished all of this without diminishing his regime's nuclear capacity and he appears to have continued ballistic-missile development at 16 hidden sites.
Having gone from nuclear-armed pariah to presidential negotiating partner, it is little wonder that Kim would want a second summit to consolidate his newfound international legitimacy and position in the global limelight.