What was Kim thinking?

•Will the North return to dialogue?

Analysts view the North as unlikely to return six-party nuclear disarmament talks that involved Japan,Russia,South Korea,China and the US in their existing form. The North has indicated,very opaquely,it was ready for talks with the US to resolve tensions that it argues forced it to develop a nuclear arsenal.

•Is the cycle of North’s military provocation over?

Clinton’s visit caps a 15-year period of on-off nuclear talks,diplomatic manoeuvering and military provocations that began with a visit to Pyongyang in 1994 by former US President Jimmy Carter. Recent overtures seeking dialogue with Washington indicate the cycle is over and Clinton’s visit marks the start of a new one.

•Will Kim give up nuclear arms?

The North has linked nuclear disarmament to whether Washington would first end its hostility against Pyongyang and prove it by signing a permanent peace treaty ending the 1950-53 Korean War and removing all US troops from the South.