So, the summit was cancelled – and it was the American side that pulled the plug. As Donald Trump’s letter to Kim Jong Un explained, the reason for the cancellation was the “tremendous hostility” expressed in North Korea’s most recent statements. So, what has happened, and what should we expect to happen next? Predictions are a tricky business, of course, but it is probably the right time to think about the future – which is certain to be stormy.

To which North Korean statements did President Trump refer in his letter? Obviously, he meant two recent declarations made by Kim Kye Gwan and Choe Son Hui, senior North Korean diplomats, who expressed their displeasure over U.S. officials talking about the ‘Libyan model’ as an example North Korea should emulate, and warned that excessive demands by the U.S. would cause Pyongyang to reconsider its plans for the summit.