North Korea is trying to save face. We must let them. Much worse if we don’t.
Far from it
N Korea did not build her WMD arsenal as weapons of war; they know that any use would be instant suicide. They built them for national pride - for "face".
And when you ask an asian to relinquish what gives him face, you had better be prepared to offer a credible substitute. That's what the US negotiators failed to do, with their "complete denucleraisation" rhetoric - the negotiating stance of a thug, not a partner.
And the crazy thing is, we have on the table an offer that would almost certainly work - a complete and comprehensive peace treaty between N Korea and the US, S Korea, and Japan. The last two would jump at the chance.
But this puts President Trump in a hard place. If such a treaty is delayed beyond the midterms, its fate in a hostile Senate full of haters and wreckers is desperately uncertain. It must at all costs be submitted before the midterms, when those impelled to vote it down know that they will facte disaster at the polls.
On that firm foundation, I beleive a lasting peace, and reunification of the Koreas, can be achieved.