Category: US Government

It will be interesting to see what sanctions relief the Trump administration is willing to give and what they get in return for the Trump-Kim II Summit:

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned easing sanctions while talking about North Korea and the US’ denuclearization negotiations. In an interview with the press on Feb. 13, Pompeo said that “it’s our full intention of getting a good outcome in exchange for relieving those sanctions. I’m very hopeful that we can do that.” 

Pompeo publicly indicated a willingness to relieve sanctions just a week or two before the second North Korea-US summit raises expectations about the prospects of the two countries’ negotiations.

The US’ previous position had been that sanctions will not be eased or lifted until North Korea’s complete denuclearization. But leading up to the second summit, the North has called for the easing of sanctions, which it says are incompatible with improving bilateral relations. Pompeo’s remarks suggest that the US has come to terms with the fact that North Korea cannot be persuaded to take steps toward denuclearization without a little quid pro quo in the form of easing sanctions. 

Hankyoreh

You can read more at the link, but the Kim regime and the Moon administration would love nothing more than re-opening the Kaesong Industrial Complex and the joint tourism projects on the East Coast. Both are large cash cows for the Kim regime that have little impact on North Korean society.

"Trump has found that his lack of experience in politics and diplomacy, which require policy knowledge, team building and nuanced negotiating ability, has left him at a decided disadvantage despite his boasts about his deal-making prowess" https://t.co/B5cZYgQbfE

— Francis Fukuyama (@FukuyamaFrancis) February 4, 2019

Well so much for Young Kim being the first Korean-American woman elected to Congress:

The South Korea-born politician took the lead in initial vote counting in the Nov. 6 election. But she lost to Cisneros by 1.6 percentage point as of 8:00 p.m. after mail-in ballots were counted, according to the Associated Press.

They competed to succeed Republican Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in the district, which includes parts of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties and is two-thirds Asian and Latino.

I still can’t get used to seeing Admiral Ambassador Harris with a mustache:

U.S. Ambassador to Korea Harry Harris visits the back alley of Seochon, an area west of Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul, to try out a traditional Korean rice alcoholic beverage called “makgeolli” for the very first time.

While sitting in a tiny, cozy hanok, Harris carefully sipped on samplers of makgeolli with all different flavors served with beautifully crafted Korean traditional dishes that go well with it. And he immediately fell in love with makgeolli. All is captured on a video posted on the embassy website.  [Korea Times]

Fair. One isn't hearing much about the first Korean-American woman elected to Congress. https://t.co/rxtwYH6zEk

— the oranckay (@oranckay) November 9, 2018

Here is anecdote from this week’s US midterm elections:

Young Kim appeared certain to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, becoming the first Korean-American woman to serve in Congress.

With 97 percent of the ballots counted, the 56-year-old Republican garnered 51.4 percent of the vote against 48.6 percent by Democrat Gil Cisneros in California’s 39th district.

If finalized, she will succeed outgoing Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The only other Korean-American to serve in Congress was Jay Kim, a Republican who represented California’s 41st district from 1993 to 1999.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link, but it should be no surprise that Young Kim is against President Trump’s executive order to end chain migration.

Retired General David Stilwell speaks Korean and has very close ties to US Ambassador Harry Harris because of their prior work together at US Indo-Pacific Command:

U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Air Force veteran David Stilwell as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, according to the White House on Wednesday.

The position covers diplomacy with the Korean Peninsula, China, and Japan. His predecessor Susan Thornton stepped down in July amid rumors that she was too moderate, whereas Stilwell is thought to be a hardliner.

It can be hard to tell why people come and go in the frantically revolving doors of the Trump administration, but Stilwell’s appointment may reflect the fact that hardliners are increasingly gaining the upper hand. Trump only recently described Defense Secretary James Mattis, who is thought to have been a steadying force, as “sort of a Democrat.”

The White House described Stilwell as “an Air Force veteran with more than 35 years of experience as a pilot, commander, and Korean linguist.”

He retired in 2015 with the rank of brigadier general and is currently the director of the China Strategic Focus Group at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Headquarters in Hawaii.

He learned Korean in a military language school in California and served as a fighter pilot in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, from 1993 to 1995. He also speaks Chinese and some Japanese.  [Chosun Ilbo]

You can read more at the link.

Secretary Mattis has been extremely apolitical which in today’s partisan political environment is an extreme rarity:

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said President Donald Trump has reassured him of his full support after the Republican president described his Pentagon chief as “sort of a Democrat” who could leave the administration.

Mattis, speaking to reporters before landing in Vietnam on Tuesday, said he received the reassurance from Trump in a phone call during his nearly 20-hour flight from Washington.

“(Trump) said, ‘I’m 100 percent with you’,” Mattis recounted, playing down Trump’s remarks to CBS’ “60 Minutes,” which aired on Sunday.

Asked whether he was a Democrat, as Trump suggested, Mattis, disclosed that he had not registered as a Democrat or a Republican.

“I have never registered for any political party,” said Mattis, a retired Marine general.

Mattis sought to portray national defense as an issue above partisan politics. He also pointed to a long military career that taught him to act in a “proudly apolitical” manner, in which U.S. servicemembers carry out orders from Republican and Democratic presidents alike.

Mattis said he did not talk to Trump about leaving his job and dismissed speculation he was being pushed out.

“I’m on his team. We have never talked about me leaving. And as you can see right here, we are on our way (to Asia). We just continue doing our job,” Mattis said.  [Reuters]

You can read more at the link, but I hope Secretary Mattis gets to stay at the Pentagon for as long as possible.

Does anyone want to comment on the proposed US Constitutional changes proposed by Emanuel Pastreich in the Korea Times:

The rapid shifts in American politics demand that we revise our aged constitution so that it better reflects the reality of contemporary institutions. If we fail to take such a brave step, we run the serious risk that our politics and practices will grow so completely out of tune with the constitution that it will lose what remains of its tattered legitimacy. Here is a modest proposal for constitutional amendments that can be quickly ratified.   [Korea Times]

You can read the rest at the link, but he is right about Amendment 29.

President Trump’s canceling Secretary Pompeo’s trip to Pyongyang is certainly a surprise since is comes only 24 hours after announcing a new envoy for North Korea and affirming the diplomatic mission. This reflects poor coordination on the administration’s North Korea policy.

— Bruce Klingner (@BruceKlingner) August 24, 2018