BREAKING NEWS on North Korea

Thursday afternoon, the South Korean national security adviser, who has recently met with Kim Jong Un, delivered a letter from Kim to President Trump.

It was an invitation to Mr. Trump for the two of them to meet to discuss the denuclearization of North Korea.    Trump has agreed to the meeting, which is said to be planned to take place "by May."

This in itself seems quite out of the ordinary way of doing things.   Usually something as significant as this would be the culmination of a series of preliminary meetings, with shows of good faith from each side to build trust, leading to higher and higher levels of officials -- before the heads of state would meet to finalize an agreement.

On the other hand, it is exactly the unorthodox style that characterizes Trump.

The big question, beyond the obvious one of whether Kim Jong Un is serious about getting rid of his nuclear capacity, is what's up with this seeming complete change in Kim from belligerent to conciliatory.

I can't help but wonder.   There have been articles in the media in the past couple of days about the state of Kim's health, citing speculation that he may be quite ill.   One can only wonder at this point, but is he perhaps wanting to put his country on a sound footing with the rest of the world -- both economically and with recognition as a respectable peer -- while he still can?

The cynical view would be that those health reports might be part of North Korea's propaganda plot to build up an expectation to draw the U.S. in to negotiations -- and then walk away, leaving us looking gullible?    I wonder if it's too late to get our chief expert on North Korea in the State Department to change his mind about leaving?    At least to be a consultant to the White House negotiators as they plan their next moves.

Ralph