His grandfather seemed smart enough, his father not so much, but he's really played everything damn near perfectly. And the world is so preoccupied with Trump's stupidity and incompetence that it's not even calling out Kim's transparent charm campaign.
His mens rea in this latest international crime has not yet been determined.
Although, while being guardedly hopeful there is real diplomatic opportunity here, turning to say that Kim is a genius due to his charm is presumptuous.
He was utterly isolated and the North Koreans were reportedly rattled that the U.S. was able to sabotage some of their missiles, and playing brinkmanship over whether we would shoot them down. Some of that was stupid, with the Trump Administration that was a given (Little Rocket Man and comparing button sizes,) yet the presence of our military exercises and heavy bomber flights riled those jimmies further.
If anything, North Korea blinked at the pressure... potentially... possibly, and, we know the USA (unless a super secret double probation deal was done) has given nothing.
What are we looking at in the way of U.S. concessions? None so far that we know of.
And the North? Through Western eyes it appears charming to a few people and some media analysts in the West, yet not in the East, that is not what is seen, and the North by definition is not acting out of strength.
- Now the official war is set to end (A big deal, probably)
- Serious rhetoric about ending... not cutting back, but ending the whole program (China is gotten to by this, rhetoric or not)
- Serious rhetoric about unification and deescalation at the border (China is even more gotten to by this, and are shocked)
- An unthinkable summit with the South where all the optics look good and warm (This is also shocking considering how one would expect the leader of the North to act against a rival being "enslaved by a puppet" (USA), see President Xi's handshake with Abe. These things really resonate in face cultures.)
- Now? A direct meeting with Trump is in the works, possibly at the DMZ. One of these events would make for a "hmm..." moment, all of them, and more that I have forgotten are really nuts.
All of this has come out of the North, with no serious demands for disarmament, or China's wishes for the end of military drills, intimidate removal of US troops, leaving the Pacific and disbanding the Pacific fleet and shooting the spare parts off to the moon... I made up the last part of course, but that is the kind of thing North Korea asks for with China's typical wink.
Strange times in Pyongyang.