Moon kept the White House out of the loop before making agreements with North Korea that have major alliance implications.https://t.co/BCf45NOKF9 He's also trying to undercut US policy & UN sanctions.https://t.co/mkaAiBNsOY He's in no position to complain. https://t.co/5an3k7aEU5
Members of a pro-choice civic body rally in front of the Constitutional Court in Seoul on May 24, 2018, to demand that the criminal status of abortion be abolished, with the court to hold the first hearing on a petition filed last year by a doctor who was convicted of carrying out an abortion. The doctor requested the court review the constitutionality of the current anti-abortion law. (Yonhap)
I think this is a sign of just how off balance President Trump has the Kim regime right now, that Kim Jong-un had to have an emergency summit with Moon Jae-in just to figure out how to move forward:
President Moon Jae-in has held a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met for the second time in a month on Saturday, holding a surprise summit at a border truce village to discuss Kim’s potential meeting with President Donald Trump, Moon’s office said.
Kim and Moon met hours after South Korea expressed relief over revived talks for a summit between Trump and Kim following a whirlwind 24 hours that saw Trump cancel the highly anticipated meeting before saying it’s potentially back on.
Moon, who brokered the summit between Washington and Pyongyang, likely used Saturday’s meeting to confirm Kim’s willingness to enter nuclear negotiations with Trump and clarify what steps Kim has in mind in the process of denuclearization, said Hong Min, a senior analyst at Seoul’s Korea Institute for National Unification. [Associated Press]
I can only imagine what they talked about, but I would not be surprised if the conversation included the fact that the usual playbook is not working on President Trump. The past strategy of the North Koreans giving little to nothing in return for massive aid and lifting of sanctions is clearly not going to happen this time. The Trump administration has made it pretty clear that real denuclearization is what will happen if a deal is to be done.
By the way does anyone want to provide their own caption of the below picture?:
In this photo provided by the South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, South Korean President Moon Jae-in (R) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hold each other before parting after their second summit held at the border village of Panmunjom on May 26, 2018. (Yonhap)
Former North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho who defected to South Korea in 2016 describes in his book what it was like escorting Kim Jong-un’s brother, Kim Jong-chul around London to attend an Eric Clapton concert:
Thae Yong-ho, right, escorts North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s elder brother, Kim Jong-chul, to an Eric Clapton concert in London in 2015. / Captured from Japanese TBS TV
Jong-chul stayed in London for 61 hours, during which he saw Clapton’s concert twice. He also went shopping at an HMV record store and Selfridges department store, both in London, and drove 100 kilometers to buy a “Made in U.S.” guitar he had been eagerly looking for. He paid 2,400 pounds for it.
His plan to see the concert could have been canceled when his visit was leaked to the media. A throng of reporters gathered at the concert venue to catch a glimpse of the “unfortunate prince,” an often-used term to explain his fate of yielding the North’s throne to his younger brother.
But he pushed ahead and ended up seeing the concert under British police protection. He bought many souvenirs after the concert ― cups, key chains, T-shirts and albums.
Jong-chul looked quite moved when he bought the American guitar, according to Thae. He cuddled it for a while and gave an impromptu performance for 40 minutes at the shop. People extolled his play. The guitar was at his side all the way back to London.
“I’ve sent a cable to many embassies to find this guitar, but they failed. Why couldn’t they be able to find this?” he asked himself.
Thae said Jong-chul was married and had children. He bought children’s clothes at Selfridges. [Korea Times]
You can read more at the link, but Kim Jong-chul has been described as being effeminate in the past, but Thae said he saw no evidence of that his time with him in London. Judging from the above picture Jong-chul does not have the same authoritarian appearance Jong-un. Plus the behavior described by Thae makes Jong-chul appear a bit childish. This tends to further validate why he was passed over for the North Korean leadership.
It appears even the South Korean reporters are dubious of the closure of Punggye-ri nuclear test site:
A controlled detonation destroys the second tunnel at North Korea’s Punggye-ri nuclear test site, Thursday. / Joint press corps
North Korea said it had totally destroyed all tunnels at its Punggye-ri nuclear test site, Thursday, but international reporters who witnessed the event said their lack of expertise in nuclear technology meant they couldn’t verify the complete dismantlement.
The group of reporters from South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, China and Russia observed the demolition following a briefing by a deputy director of the North Korean Nuclear Research Institute.
“We had already discarded the first tunnel in the east, after the successful test in 2006. In the second one in the north, the country held five nuclear tests from 2009 to 2017,” the official, who refused to be named, was quoted as saying by the pool reporters.
The research institute officials repeatedly said the third and fourth tunnels, which have not been used, have remained intact despite a series of nuclear tests in the second one. “The third one is the widest. It’s always ready. The fourth was created because a bigger facility was needed,” another official said.
The first explosion at 11 a.m. destroyed the second tunnel. North Korean officials asked photographers and cameramen “Are you ready to shoot?” before a thunderous roar resonated throughout Mount Mantap following a countdown of “three, two, one.” [Korea Times]
You can read and see more pictures of this dog and pony show at the link. Interestingly the North Koreans even offered the reporters spring water to drink from the mountain to prove there is no radiation leakage, but offered no proof there was no radiation.
Never mind that SKorea's head of national security and intelligence agency chief announced from the White House that KJU was going to denuke. Never mind that Moon Jae-in insisted NKorea wants "complete" denuclearization. Everything is John Bolton's fault. https://t.co/3NVIoNu8Yo
— John Lee (The Korean Foreigner) (@koreanforeigner) May 22, 2018
A protester holds a banner that says, “Trump jeopardizes peace on the Korean Peninsula,” during a rally in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on May 25, 2018, to criticize the U.S. government and call for a summit with North Korea as scheduled. On May 24, U.S. President Donald Trump called off his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un scheduled for June 12, citing the North’s “tremendous anger and open hostility.” (Yonhap)
This is a bit of a slap in the face of Moon Jae-in that the Trump administration did not trust telling him of the upcoming summit cancellation:
Washington did not inform Seoul of its decision to call off its planned summit with North Korea until it was reported by media.
A high-ranking official of South Korea’s presidential office said the U.S. government notified Seoul of its move almost at the same time when it was announced to the public.
The White House was known to have first informed South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Cho Yoon-je, who then delivered the news to the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae.
According to American media outlets, the U.S. government began discussing the possibility of canceling the U.S.-North Korea summit Wednesday night local time.
The South Korean official said there were no advance discussions on the matter between Seoul and Washington. [KBS World News]
As I said yesterday, the cancellation of the Trump-Kim summit by President Trump was nothing more than part of the ongoing negotiations. Well it looks like the Kim regime got the message from the Trump administration that the usual games they played during past negotiations will not be tolerated:
Despite U.S. President Donald Trump cancelling the June 12 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to discuss the regime’s denuclearization, it appears a meeting could take place not too far in the future, as both sides seem willing to engage in dialogue.
North Korea, unlike its usual hard-line stance, expressed regret over the cancellation and said it is open to talks at anytime, so the ball is again in the U.S.’s court.
After Trump’s announcement late Thursday, North Korea stated that it had a “willingness to resolve issues through dialogue, whenever and through whatever means.” The statement was made by North Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan, reported by the Korean Central News Agency the following morning. [Korea Times]
Who can remember a time when the Kim regime has been this conciliatory for talks? The only time that comes to mind was during the Banco Delta Asia incident where they were desperate to get the millions of dollars frozen by the US Treasury Department back. The Kim regime played nice until they got what they wanted and then eventually returned to conducting provocations.
It is pretty clear the Trump administration is trying to change this dynamic and the President today is signaling that the summit can still happen if North Korea changes its tone:
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday his planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could still take place June 12, after cancelling the summit a day earlier.
“We’re going to see what happens. We’re talking to them right now. It could even be the 12th,” Trump told reporters before departing the White House. (….)
“Very good news to receive the warm and productive statement from North Korea,” he wrote. “We will soon see where it will lead, hopefully to long and enduring prosperity and peace. Only time (and talent) will tell!” [Yonhap]
I guess we will see what happens, but it is good to see the Kim regime for once on the defensive when it comes to negotiations.
I would have to think this guy must have some mental issues or was drunk for killing someone for being too loud:
A man surnamed Lee in his 40s has been arrested by police for allegedly killing his neighbor who “made too much noise” at night.
Busan Saha Police Station said Tuesday that it is investigating the man on the charge of murder.
The suspect is accused of stabbing a 31-year-old who lived in the same apartment building in Saha-gu, Busan, around 2 a.m. Tuesday. He was caught red-handed after the victim’s friend filed a report to police.
The victim was sent to a nearby hospital but died in the middle of surgery around 6 a.m. Tuesday. [Korea Herald]
You can read more at the link, but apparently the neighbor was being loud with his friends in front of the apartment while waiting for a taxi.
