Explaining Trump’s decision-making about the meeting, Tillerson said the US had witnessed a shift from North Korea that became apparent when a South Korean delegation visited Pyongyang, then traveled to Washington to brief US officials on the rare meeting. He said the dispatch from that meeting “was the most forward-leaning report that we’ve had, in terms of Kim Jong Un’s not just willingness but his strong desire for talks.

“What changed was his posture in a fairly dramatic way,” Tillerson said. “In all honesty, that came as a little bit of a surprise to us as well.”