Tellingly, a strong majority of South Koreans approved of the meeting, while a cadre of American media shills and military industry-funded pundits lashed out against it.

Critics blasted the meeting as a superficial public relations ploy, and it's true that Trump may have been trying to placate the non-interventionists who voted for him last time given his otherwise aggressive foreign policy. Still, exchanging friendly pleasantries is objectively better than threatening mutual obliteration (think back to the 2017 era of "fire and fury") and an off-the-record (but later reported) suggestion by Stephen Biegun, the head US negotiator for North Korea, hinted this historic meeting could lead to something more meaningful.

Biegun's team is considering an interim deal featuring improved diplomatic relations and perhaps humanitarian aid in return for a continued, extended freeze on North Korean nuclear weapons development.