A summit between the leaders of North and South Korea is set to take place on Friday, ahead of a US-North Korea meeting within weeks.
North Korea has promised to end nuclear and missile tests, a move that has raised hope and scepticism.
US President Donald Trump is piling pressure on Kim Jong-un to abandon all his nuclear ambitions.
Ordinary North Koreans don't know anything about the diplomatic manoeuvring that has been going on, as state-controlled media has said nothing about the upcoming negotiations.
Al Jazeera's James Bays has been given rare access to the capital, Pyongyang - to find out whether Trump is on their minds at all.
