North Korea: Why diplomatic engagement is unlikely

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s favourite mode of transportation is a heavily armoured olive green locomotive that crawls at 60kmh at its fastest because of its weight. Known as the Taeyangho, the locomotive is wrapped in bulletproof steel and reinforced glass. Built to shield its passengers from external threats, it is less a train than a moving fortress. In many ways, the train is a metaphor for the isolated regime. For decades, the outside world has tried to force Pyongyang out of its shell through sanctions, diplomatic isolation and economic pressure. Yet rather than capitulate, North Korea has adapted…