There has been a John Feffer sighting in the Hankyoreh. For those that don’t know who Mr. Feffer is, he is a long time North Korea apologist who once equated Kim Jong-il to former President George Bush. Feffer even incredibly once claimed that Kim Jong-un was not responsible for the Great Famine in North Korea that needlessly killed hundreds of thousands of his own citizens. Now Feffer is advocating for the Moon administration’s request for the US to approve exemptions on sanctions on North Korea:
John Feffer
North Korea has not pushed forward with denuclearization as quickly as some observers hoped. It hasn’t taken any steps to reduce its nuclear arsenal. In fact, according to a recent U.S. intelligence assessment, North Korea continues to produce highly enriched uranium for additional nuclear weapons.
Nor has North Korea even provided a list of all its nuclear-weapons-related sites or an inventory of its nuclear weapons.Still, North Korea has given several indications that it is serious about de-escalating tensions. It has maintained a moratorium on all missile and nuclear tests. It at least partially destroyed its nuclear test site at Punggye-ri (it may only have destroyed the entrances rather than the tunnels themselves). And most recently it began the partial dismantlement of its satellite-launch station.
None of these moves is irreversible. But given the Trump administration’s tendency to renege on deals – like the Iran nuclear deal – North Korea would frankly be crazy to do anything yet that it can’t later reverse. [Hankyoreh]
Notice how Feffer tries to make it out that it is all President Trump’s fault that North Korea has done nothing meaningful to denuclearize, ignoring the fact North Korea has never done anything meaningful and it has always been the US being the one making concessions in the past.
Here is where he gets into the easing of sanctions:
South Korea has also taken some important steps forward on conflict reduction. Most recently, it reported that it will reduce the number of guard posts along the DMZ and withdraw some military equipment as well. The United States, however, has not made any reciprocal moves. It canceled the summer military exercises with South Korea. But it hasn’t shown any flexibility on the issue of economic sanctions.Indeed, the Trump administration has pushed for stricter implementation of sanctions at the UN, citing North Korean violations of petroleum imports.
The United States has upped the pressure on China and Russia to enforce these sanctions. And last week, several U.S. government agencies send out an advisory that reminded businesses and individuals of the penalties of engaging economically with Pyongyang. Seoul has officially requested exemptions to the sanctions that would allow it to pursue certain economic projects with Pyongyang. It will likely have the support of both Russia and China for such exemptions.
The ball is in the U.S. court. If Trump truly wants to move forward with the deal he struck with Kim Jong Un in Singapore, then he has to put his money where his mouth is.The U.S. government can grant these exemptions while still maintaining an otherwise strict sanctions regime. It can still prevent U.S. businesses and individuals from engaging with North Korea.
It can still push for the tighter implementation of sanctions connected to critical resources, like petroleum, that North Korea needs.What South Korea is looking for, however, are exemptions that would permit the restart of joint economic programs like the Kaesong industrial zone and inter-Korean tourism operations.
The Kaesong Industrial Complex and the joint-tourism projects established by prior left-wing South Korean governments were major foreign revenue generators for the Kim regime. We heard for years about how these engagement projects would change North Korea. Well the engagers and apologists were right North Korea did change, they used the revenue to help fund their ballistic missile and nuclear programs that now can now threaten the entire region and even the US homeland.
Now the engagers and apologists want to double down on their failed ideas, but the big question is if President Trump wants to double down with them?
I wonder how long before the Chinese reverse engineer the S-400? Even more worrisome is if this system or a Chinese knockoff ends up in North Korea in the future:
Russia’s S-400
Russia’s TASS news agency and a Hong Kong daily report that China could test fire a new Russian missile defense system in the coming days.
The South China Morning Post said Saturday that China could put the defense system, which is capable of downing U.S. F-35 stealth fighters, through its paces within a few days.
The report says the Chinese army has already been trained in the use of the S-400 Triumph in Russia.
The S-400 Triumph, which was delivered just last week, is a surface-to-air missile system designed to complement China’s home-grown defense capabilities.
With a range of 24-hundred kilometers, the S-400 can engage up to 36 targets simultaneously with as many as 72 missiles at altitudes of between five meters and 30 kilometers.
The South China Morning Post said the U.S. has had F-35s at its own and allies’ military bases in the Asia-Pacific region since October and this deployment pushed China into bringing its first stealth fighter, the J-20, into service ahead of schedule in February.
Some pundits say the S-400 deployed on the Shandong Peninsula, which is near Korea, will pose a major threat to the combat power of South Korea and U.S. Forces Korea. [KBS World Radio]
Cho Joong-pil, the mother of a college student who was stabbed to death at a Burger King in the popular international district of Itaewon in 1997, leaves the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul on July 26, 2018. The court ordered the state to pay 360 million won (US$321,113) in compensation to the family of the student who was killed by two Americans. (Yonhap)
We could all see this coming, the leftists in the Moon administration want to get special exceptions to the international sanctions on North Korea:
South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (R) shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo before their talks in New York on July 20, 2018, in this photo provided by the Joint Press Corps. (Yonhap)
South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Monday rejected concerns about Seoul’s alleged move to ease international sanctions on Pyongyang, saying it is seeking an “exception” to facilitate cross-border exchanges.
Kang made the remarks upon arrival from her visit to the United States, amid media speculation that she stressed the need for an easing of the sanctions during her meetings with the U.N. Security Council member states.
“Now is not a phase when sanctions are being eased. … It is not an easing of sanctions,” the minister said. “(What I stressed) was to get exceptions from the sanctions, which are needed for inter-Korean projects.”
Since early this year, concerns have persisted that Seoul’s push for an increase in cross-border exchanges could contribute to an unraveling of the sanctions regime, which analysts said has helped Pyongyang change its calculus on its nuclear program.
Asked about whether her visit to the U.S. this time was aimed at playing a role as an intermediary between Washington and Pyongyang, Kang stressed the importance of communication between the allies. [Yonhap]
If the Trump administration allows the easing of sanctions that would allow the reopening of the Kaesong Industrial Complex and the joint-tourism projects in North Korea they might as well scrap the sanctions all together. These former joint-projects were major generators of foreign revenue for the Kim regime that gave them the resources necessary to develop their nuclear program in the first place.
Wouldn’t it be great if when Secretary of State Pompeo meets with Kang Kyung-wha he instead briefs her on a plan to introduce new sanctions due to nothing significant having been reaching on North Korea’s denuclearization?
Some people may try to read more into this, but Ri Yong-gil is replacing someone 84 years old. This may just be a natural leadership transition or horse trading to appease different powerbroker within North Korea. I can remember when it was believed that Ri was executed by Kim Jong-un, now here he is as chief of the military:
Ri Yong Gil, an alternate member of the Political Bureau of the C. C., the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), is pictured in this Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) handout photo released May 10, 2016.
North Korea’s state media confirmed on Friday that Ri Yong Gil has become the new chief of the military’s general staff, the latest in leader Kim Jong Un’s leadership change.
As Kim shifts the focus to the economy and pursues diplomacy with the United States, he has been replacing older, more conservative officers who were wedded to the country’s nuclear doctrine with loyalists who would follow any changes he may make, U.S. officials and analysts say.
The North’s official KCNA agency said Ri accompanied Kim on his visit to a war veterans’ cemetery as the army’s chief of general staff, marking the 65th anniversary of the armistice agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.
Ri formerly held the four-star position before he was briefly demoted deputy chief and three stars for an unspecified reason in 2016.
His return adds the recent appointments of No Kwang Chol, first vice defense minister, as the defense chief, and Army General Kim Su Gil as director of the military’s powerful General Political Bureau.
All of the newly promoted officials are younger than their predecessors, even though they are all in their 60s. Ri is 63 years old, 21 years younger than his predecessor, Ri Myong Su. [Reuters]
According to NK Leadership Watch Ri’s prior issues that led to his supposed execution had to do with his unhappiness with what he felt was unearned authority in military affairs given to Workers Party members. Whatever issues had previously occurred between him, the Workers Party, and Kim Jong-un have been clearly ironed out.
I can only imagine what the bill the Kim regime would demand the US pay to search for war remains within North Korea:
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis acknowledged Friday the Pentagon could send military teams into North Korea to search for the remains.
Pentagon officials previously said North Korea had already excavated about 200 sets of remains of fallen American soldiers. North Korea experts suggested that the regime would want compensation for recovering the remains, which in turn could jeopardize the U.S.-led economic sanctions on North Korea.
After vowing to continue putting ‘maximum pressure’ on the North until it is fully denuclearized, the Trump administration now faces a dilemma as it may have to make a deal with North Korea to continue the excavation work without appearing to make compromises.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News. [KBS World Radio]
North Korea’s Korean War veterans arrive in Pyongyang on July 25, 2018, to attend an event there in this photo carried by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). (Yonhap)
Calling all surfers, if you are looking for place to surf poor waves, with no Internet access, and the threat of detention & torture, the Kim regime has a deal for you. An added benefit is that all proceeds of this assuredly outrageously overpriced tour go towards maintaining a nuclear weapons program to threaten the world with, maintaining of gulags, and expensive luxury items for regime elite:
Tourists enjoy surfing in the East Sea of North Korea. Courtesy of DPRK Today
If you love surfing, North Korea’s East Sea coast could be your next destination.
Although the waves are not very high in July and August, there are some regions where you can enjoy surfing, according to North Korean propaganda media DPRK Today’s Sunday report.
A surfing tour of North Korea’s East Sea has been hosting many tourists from around the world. The tour includes a week of surfing, plus sightseeing trips to Pyongyang, Mount Myohyang, Gaeseong and other major tourist destinations.
For those who have a high level of surfing skills, October-November is a better choice, the report said. But sea temperatures are much cooler. [Korea Times]
