With McDonald's golden arches standing as a symbol of globalization, modernization, and Western capitalism – having punctuated past strides made with communist powers of the Soviet Union and China – North Korea's push for a U.S. burger joint might be a path to goodwill amid talks of denuclearization, according to The Washington Post.
"This has happened with a number of different communist cultures," according to Stimson Center research analyst Jenny Town, managing editor of an academic news site about North Korea. "Once they start to get different points of contact with the West, it changes their views — and it usually starts with McDonald's or Coca-Cola."
McDonald's currently has more than 37,000 locations in 120 countries around the world, according to the company's annual reports.
Both North Korea's Kim Jong Un, reportedly having flown in McDonald's orders from China, and President Donald Trump are lover of hamburgers, according to the report.
As noble as denuclearization and goodwill are between Kim and President Trump, North Korea's golden arches aspirations are still equally distant goals.
"Perhaps the day we see American-style fast food restaurants in North Korea will be the day cultural diplomacy triumphs, but we’re a long way off from that day," Wilson Center analyst Kayla Orta told the Post.
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