As long as(只要) Donald Trump is president of the United States, North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, “is going to be fine”, says Mr Trump, because “He respects me and he likes me.” Other observers are less sanguine(乐观的). Mr Kim, a hereditary god-king(世袭的神王), has between 57 and 120 nuclear bombs, and his gulag(古拉格，劳改营) state produces enough fissile material(裂变材料) for ten to 20 more each year. It also makes short-range missiles that could hit liberal, democratic South Korea and intercontinental ballistic ones that could reach any part of America or Europe.(它还制造能打击自由民主韩国的短程导弹，以及能打到美欧任何地方的洲际弹道导弹。)
特朗普说，只要唐纳德·特朗普还是美国总统，朝鲜领导人金正恩“就会没事”，因为“他尊重我，也喜欢我”。其他观察人士则没那么乐观。金正恩是一位世袭的神王，拥有57到120枚核弹，他的古拉格国家每年生产的裂变材料足以再制造10到20枚核弹。朝鲜还制造短程导弹，可打击自由民主的韩国，以及能打到美国或欧洲任何地方的洲际弹道导弹。
Three decades of international efforts have failed to make the North end its nuclear programme. Mr Kim, like his father before him, sees nukes as the best guarantee that he will not be overthrown (and perhaps end up like Muammar Qaddafi, killed by his own subjects).(金正恩和他父亲一样，把核武器视为自己不被推翻的最佳保障（否则可能落得卡扎菲的下场，被自己的臣民杀死）。) America’s war against Iran, which has not yet built a nuclear weapon, surely strengthens that view. So America’s official policy—that North Korea should give up its nuclear arms—seems unrealistic. Some think it should be scrapped(被废弃).
三十年的国际努力未能让朝鲜终止其核计划。金正恩和他父亲一样，把核武器视为自己不被推翻的最佳保障（否则可能落得穆阿迈尔·卡扎菲的下场，被自己的臣民杀死）。美国对尚未造出核武器的伊朗发动战争，无疑强化了这一看法。因此，美国要求朝鲜放弃核武器的官方政策似乎不切实际。一些人认为该政策应被废弃。
It is not clear whether Mr Trump is one of them. But it is clear that he would like to see his “friend” again, despite their previous three meetings having achieved nothing.(但清楚的是，他想再次见到他的“朋友”，尽管此前三次会晤毫无成果。) This could happen when (and if) Mr Trump attends an Asia-Pacific summit in China on November 18th. Mr Kim might nip across(迅速赶去) from Pyongyang to meet him. Mr Trump might even become the first sitting American president to visit the hermit kingdom(隐士王国，指朝鲜)’s capital. But Mr Kim has made formal American acceptance of North Korea’s nuclear status a precondition(前提条件) for meeting.
目前不清楚特朗普是否属于“一些人”。但清楚的是，他想再次见到他的“朋友”，尽管此前三次会晤毫无成果。这可能发生在特朗普出席11月18日在中国举行的亚太峰会之时（如果他能去的话）。金正恩也许会从平壤迅速赶去见他。特朗普甚至可能成为首位访问这个隐士王国首都的在任美国总统。但金正恩已把美国正式承认朝鲜的核地位作为会晤的前提条件。