There has been a lot of talk suggesting that working-level negotiations on denuclearization between North Korea and the United States are imminent — or at least that they can be expected in the near future.

U.S. Special Representative Stephen Biegun has used words like “flexibility” and “freeze.” Even the former deputy director of the CIA, Michael Morell, has openly supported the idea of a “freeze” as an interim goal.

Therefore it may be wise to review North Korea’s strategy in these negotiations, and what a deal might mean for the country’s future.

A standard analysis would assess basic elements such as normalization,