In a news analysis piece by Joseph Chinyong Liow, dean and professor of comparative and international politics at RSIS, NTU, he outlined possible reasons for why North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offered to meet US president Donald Trump. These include the enhancement of Kim’s international standing, that Pyongyang could be masking that it has achieved its ultimate objective of nuclear weapons capability, and the heavy sanctions imposed on North Korea which have taken their toll. He concluded the summit may or may not achieve much, but it is still a crucial step towards enhancing peace, stability and security in the region. Whether it will mark the beginning of a long but imperative process towards those ends, however, will depend on level heads and steady hands at the helm in both camps.