The logistics of setting up the North Korean peace summit are awfully complicated and involve multiple teams working in parallel with each other, former White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove said.
Rove joined Fox News' "The Daily Briefing" on Thursday afternoon and was asked about preparations for the historic meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. North Korea, Rove said, has believed for decades that its security depends on having a nuclear arsenal — something the United States is trying to take away from the reclusive nation.
"The original drive for nuclear weapons began under the current leader of North Korea's grandfather's time in office," Rove said. "So, his grandfather, his father, and now Kim Jong Un have all thought that the regime's continuation, its security if you will, depends upon the acquisition of a nuclear weapon supply.
"They've been pursuing this for decades, and they have now achieved it."
The peace summit was originally scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, but Trump postponed it last week after it was reported North Korea did not seem dedicated to making it happen.
It is not entirely clear if the summit is officially back on, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with North Korean Vice Chairman Kim Yong Chol on Thursday in New York City to further discuss the matter.
Rove said Pompeo's efforts are one of many that are ongoing.
"We have deputy White House chief of staff Joe Hagin, and the logistics team in Singapore with their counterparts working out where people will sit, where people will stay, what kind of arrangements they will have for the breaks and meals and so forth," Rove said. "We also . . . have a team that is meeting in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea that's working on the agenda. Then, we have the meetings between Pompeo and, in essence, the vice chairman of North Korea.
"This is a three-ring circus."
The result of all the planning, Rove said, will be a detailed agenda for Trump to refer to during his peace talks with Kim.
"This is really extraordinarily difficult with so many different actors spread across the globe," Rove said.
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