10 Tips for Negotiating with Kim Jong Un

Haphazard diplomacy with North Korea presents a real danger, so someone around Mr. Trump had better be preparing for a complex negotiation. Here are 10 steps to get started:

1. Identify the outcome Mr. Trump wants to achieve. That may seem simple, but consider the range of possibilities. The U.S. could seek progress toward the peaceful unification of a free Korea. Or it could accept the North Korean regime’s existence if Pyongyang gives up nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, plus long-range missiles, while promising not to sell its technology. Mr. Trump could focus on North Korea’s threats or behavior—whether toward the U.S., South Korea, the region or the North Korean people. The U.S. could demand that North Korea return people it has abducted from other countries, especially Japan. The bargaining will take sharp twists and turns. Mr. Trump needs to know how he will frame America’s initial demands and what he wants to achieve over different time frames.