On June 20, 2018, the University of Alberta’s Dr. Brian Gold spoke to CIC Edmonton members and attendees on the historic Singapore Summit meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

With his academic background in East Asian and Korean history and peppering his presentation with personal experiences in North Korea, Dr. Gold provided an enriching and thought provoking introduction to North Korean history and North Korea-US relations. Dr. Gold then dived into what drives the North Korean state, explaining their “predictable unpredictability” and desire for security, independence, and recognition, in a neighbourhood surrounded by large powers.

Moving onto the Trump-Kim Summit, Dr.Gold provided an in-depth analysis of its implications for both the US and North Korea as well as for Canada and the world. Dr. Gold was cautiously optimistic about the future for North Korea: with the potential “perfect storm” of Trump’s support alongside China’s Xi as an economic and leadership model, potentially providing the assurances Kim needs to begin the normalization and marketization of the country.

This engaging presentation was followed by a lively question period, where Dr. Gold took questions from the audience. Dr. Gold and guests commented on what the tumultuous US-NK relationship means for South Korea, China, and Japan. Dr. Gold and the topic matter were so engaging that discussion with the audience continued long after the presentation ended.