US' ill-judged move dims prospects for DPRK talks

Despite his war of words with the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Kim Jong-un, US President Donald Trump expressed his preference for a diplomatic solution to the Korean Peninsula nuclear crisis during his recent trip to Asia.

Yet in a move that seems to go directly against this professed intention, Trump put the DPRK back on the United States' terrorism blacklist on Monday.

The designation of the DPRK as a state sponsor of terrorism will only further alienate the country. It makes the prospects for talks much dimmer, and may even eliminate the possibility of any talks.