North Korea’s first vice minister of foreign affairs, Choe Son Hui, spoke of a possible “October surprise” amid DPRK-U.S. talks in July. Since then, there have been growing questions on what Pyongyang has planned for the lead-up to November’s U.S. presidential elections.

At the time, Trump was interested in another meeting with Kim Jong Un, and initial analysis focused on the possibility of the “surprise” representing another DPRK-U.S. summit ahead of the 2020 vote. 

But with the ongoing absence of talks between the two countries, some speculate that North Korea’s