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US President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

While US President Donald Trump said for two days in a row that the location and date had been decided for his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un – which would be the first North Korea-US summit in history – he has not released any of the specifics. As more time passes without Trump elaborating, a variety of analysts have offered their take on the reason.

During a rally about tax reform in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 5, Trump said that a decision had been made about the time and location of the North Korea-US summit. He said much the same thing the day before, on May 4. When he was asked by reporters about the date of the summit inside Air Force One en route to an event organized by the National Rifle Association in Dallas, Texas, Trump said that the summit “will be very soon. I have the date. I have the location. It’s all agreed to.” But when asked about the timing of the announcement, Trump would only say, “It will be soon.”

“I think a lot of good things are going to be happening over the next short period of time. But I’ll see you over there. It’s going to be very exciting,” Trump said.

On May 1, Trump also created a buzz by saying that the time and location would be decided within a few days, but he has continued to push back the announcement.

According to multiple sources in Washington, DC, Trump appears to be telling the truth when he says that North Korea and the US have agreed on the time and location of their first ever summit. If this decision had not been reached, it would have been impossible to finalize the date of the North Korea-US summit that will be held on May 22.

Early June appears to be the likely timing of the North Korea-US summit. While Trump said on Apr. 28, shortly after the inter-Korean summit on Apr. 27, that his summit with Kim would be held within three or four weeks, the timeframe appears to have been pushed back somewhat. Some White House advisors have suggested that the North Korea-US summit ought to be held after the G7 Summit on June 8 and 9 because of inadequate preparations, but for now the North Korea-US summit is likely to be held beforehand.

Contradictory predictions have been made about the location. Officials at the Blue House regard Panmunjeom as the likely candidate, but there are indications that some are holding open the possibility of the summit being held in another country, such as Singapore. The South Korean government hopes that Trump and Kim will meet face to face at Panmunjeom, where Kim met South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and that Trump and Kim will agree to the details of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the forging of a peace treaty, which were the primary components of the Panmunjeom Declaration to which South and North Korea agreed.