The U.S. and North Korea to Resume Talks

Trump and Kim had signed a joint statement during their first summit in Singapore last year that said the North Korean leader "reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." The signed statement, however, was a vague commitment to nuclear disarmament that did not detail how the international community will verify that Kim is ending his nuclear program.

North Korea had appeared to put its weapons program on hold to allow for negotiations, but the hiatus was broken on May 4 when it tested a new weapons system.

While it has put a moratorium on testing long-range missiles, North Korea has continued to test short-range ballistic missiles and has made no firm commitments to stop testing submarine launched missiles.

Trump has played down Pyongyang's series of short-range ballistic missile tests that stretched into the summer, saying that the US never restricted short-range missiles, though the launches violate UN Security Council resolutions. Trump has also previously said he's in no rush to rid North Korea of its nuclear weapons.

Trump showed off a "very beautiful" letter from Kim in August and said that he looks forward to seeing the North Korean dictator "in the not too distant future."

At the United Nations General Assembly meeting last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the US has not been able to have any working-level meetings with North Korea, but added that he's "hopeful" there will be by the end of September.

"We hope the phone rings and that we get that call, and we get that chance to find a place and a time that works for the North Koreans and that we can deliver on the commitments that Chairman Kim and President Trump made," On Monday, North Korea's representative to the UN blamed the US for the "little progress" in relations between the two countries.