Donald Trump will be the first sitting president to meet with North Korea

On Thursday evening, South Korean official Chung Eui-yong made a stunning announcement at the White House: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had invited President Donald Trump to meet, and President Trump accepted.

The exact terms of the meeting remain to be seen, but a tweet from President Trump asserts that North Korea has agreed to pause nuclear and missile exercises while sanctions remain ongoing.

Still, experts and journalists have expressed concern at the prospect given the fact that the president is notoriously easily swayed by praise. Vox’s Zack Beauchamp writes:

[Trump is] easily swayed by flattery, not terribly interested in policy details, and deeply invested in his reputation as a dealmaker. Put those together and it’s easy to imagine the North Koreans tricking Trump into a deal that, in the long term, helps their strategic position while hurting America’s.

Yochi Dreazen, Vox’s foreign editor, joins host Sean Rameswaram for the latest episode of Today, Explained to discuss the historical precedent for this meeting and what’s at stake.

Related reading:

• 9 questions about North Korea you were too embarrassed to ask (Alex Ward)
• North Korea is the ultimate test of Donald Trump’s dealmaking (Yochi Dreazen)
• The case for — and against — Trump’s North Korea policy (Zack Beauchamp)

How do I get even more Today, Explained?

You can get the news we’re reading throughout the day, facts and stats to make you smarter about the world, and behind-the-scenes photos on Twitter at @Today_Explained. You can follow Sean at @Rameswaram and Yochi Dreazen at @YochiDreazen.

How do I report a problem?

For all issues or feedback, please email todayexplained@vox.com.

How do I listen?

If you don’t see the player above, you can listen, subscribe, and review Today, Explained on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and Google Play Music.

What if I want to listen at home?

If you have Amazon Echo, add Today, Explained to your flash briefing. If you have Google Home, just say, “Hey Google, play the Today, Explained podcast!”

We're here to shed some clarity

One of our core beliefs here at Vox is that everyone needs and deserves access to the information that helps them understand the world, regardless of whether they can pay for a subscription. With the 2024 election on the horizon, more people are turning to us for clear and balanced explanations of the issues and policies at stake. We’re so grateful that we’re on track to hit 85,000 contributions to the Vox Contributions program before the end of the year, which in turn helps us keep this work free. We need to add 2,500 contributions this month to hit that goal. Will you make a contribution today to help us hit this goal and support our policy coverage? Any amount helps.

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via