Will they meet or won’t they? The biggest story in the news right now is whether or not Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un will follow through on a planned June 12 summit. A meeting would certainly be huge. No sitting US president has ever met with the leader of North Korea.
BetDSI has placed odds on the chances for a history making summit between the two nations to take place in 2018, as well as a few other possibilities. The oddsmakers think it’s likely that a meeting will take place, while the other betting options are considered much bigger longshots.
Will Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un meet for a summit in 2018?
Yes -200
No +150
According to the Washington Post, it looks like the June 12 summit is tentatively back on.
https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1000734527814356993
However, given the precarious nature of the talks, they could fall apart or be postponed rather abruptly. That’s why leaving all of 2018 open for the ‘Yes’ option is important.
Trump is all about making history and leaving behind a legacy. Doing something that no other president has ever done before is an alluring concept to him. Even if nothing significant occurs at the summit, this would be an opportunity for him to say he was the first. This POTUS loves a good photo opp too. He is well-aware that every media outlet in the world would send people to cover the event. For this reason alone, it seems likely that Trump and Kim Jong Un will meet at some point in 2018.
Will Kim Jong Un announce closure of nuclear weapons program in 2018?
Yes +800
No -1200
This is the first of the longshot bets. It’s really hard to see North Korea voluntarily giving up its nuclear weapons at all, and even moreso by the end of this year. The last country to stop its nuclear weapons program was Libya, and the Western world quickly supported the overthrow of its leader Muammar Gaddafi when Libya’s resolution started. North Korea took note of that, and Kim Jong Un does not wish to meet the same gruesome end.
Will Mike Pence apologize to Kim Jong Un in 2018?
Yes +600
No -1000
Of the three longshots, this is the most likely to happen. Although Mike Pence won’t want to apologize for statements he has made about Kim Jong Un, in the grand scheme of things an apology means little and costs nothing. If one of the hang-ups for a potential deal between the two nations is Pence needing to apologize, he will swallow his pride and do what’s best.
Will North Korea and South Korea sign a peace treaty in 2018?
Yes +1000
No -1500
This is the longest shot on the board. Peace treaties take time, especially when there have been decades of bad blood between two sides. However, it seems like this is the closest we have come to a real peace in quite some time. South Korean President Moon Jae-in ran on a platform of opening up relations with North Korea, and his first official visit as head of state was to North Korea. He has repeatedly expressed his wishes for a peace treaty, and there is a chance he can get it.
