The month of July certainly did not end quietly with respect to North Korea and its place in international relations. Over one month after the Singapore summit declaration triggered cries of déjà vu amongst policymakers worldwide, a highly hesitant attempt at implementing some of the clauses of the declaration took hold.

Pyongyang’s repatriation on 27 July of 55 sets of remains believed to be U.S. soldiers killed during the Korean War seemed to fulfill a key statement of the Singapore joint statement. Four days earlier, the dismantlement of crucial facilities, namely the processing building and rocket