North Korea’s high-level State Affairs Commission (SAC) pronouncement on November 13 warning against U.S.-South Korea joint aerial drills has led to a flurry of announcements from the U.S. and North Korea that raised questions about the possibility of further working-level talks or even another Kim-Trump within the year.

The following is NK Pro’s analysis of what each side is trying to achieve, and the prospects of the two parties bridging the gap.

What is the U.S. trying to achieve

Aware of Kim Jong Un’s end-of-December timeline, the