Kim Jong-un is a demi-god in North Korea so few would be willing to point out that the seat of his trousers has a big smudge of dirt across the bottom during his recent tour of a textile factory in Sinuiju on the border with China. Or was it intentional to show Kim has worked hard for the people? Kim reportedly upbraided factory workers for poor work performance. This footage is from the North Korean Central TV. Yonhap via Korea Times
North Korea’s top leader Kim Jong-un (2nd from R) talks with workers during his visit to the Sinuiju Chemical Fibre Mill in the town bordering China in this clip from the North’s Central TV on July 2, 2018. The country’s media outlets said Kim chastised workers during his visits to plants in the city for not working hard enough. In the case of the mill, Kim “seriously reproved officials for failing to take pains to finish as early as possible the upgrading of the paper manufacturing process,” the report said in English. (Yonhap)
Harry Harris, during his Senate confirmation hearing, talked about bringing #KimJongUn to his senses and not to his knees. Unfortunately, to bring Kim to his senses we have to bring him to his knees.
Legitimizing and praising a dictator does not give us a real and permanent peace. It’s a delusional and fake peace that Trump wants us to believe. We must hold North Korea’s murderous Kim dictator accountable. We must fight for a world where justice… https://t.co/S44Xcp3Jvq
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) talks to Chinese President Xi Jinping at a banquet in Beijing on June 19, 2018, in this photo carried by North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun the following day. (Yonhap)
After opening the article bashing the President Trump for the recent Singapore summit, the article then goes on to explain that the summit was a huge success in the opinion of South Koreans:
In South Korea, however, the prism is different. Discussions center less on Trump’s achievements or lack of them, or his failures to live up to his own word, and more on the possibilities his summit opened up — in particular his new relationship with Kim. Which is why they welcome phone calls between the pair.
Singapore was not a failure for many in South Korea, but an opportunity.
According to a Gallup survey of more than 1,000 people two days after the summit, two thirds of the population said they think the Kim/Trump meeting was a success. Only one in 10 thought it a failure. [CNN]
It looks like Kim Jong-un is getting his next marching orders from Chinese Emperor President Xi:
A vehicle forming part of the convoy believed to be that of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is seen in Beijing June 19, 2018, in this still image taken from Reuters TV footage.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has touched down in Beijing, marking his third visit to China in as many months.
In a rare move, Chinese state media have already confirmed Kim is visiting from June 19 to 20. Kim’s arrival in Beijing, just one week after his summit with US President Donald Trump in Singapore, signifies the importance North Korea is placing on its close neighbor and historic ally.
The North Korean leader touched down on Tuesday morning with reporters spotting Kim’s $1 million armored Mercedes at the airport before a motorcade entered Beijing’s streets.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also visited Beijing last week during which China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke of “the importance of China being a constructive participant in the next steps.” [Business Insider]
You can read more at the link, but something else to keep in mind is that Kim Jong-un must be feeling very secure at home considering the amount of trips he has been taken outside of the country.
I guess the next time a provocation cycle happens they can both just call and insult each other instead of using Twitter 😉 :
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he gave North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a direct phone number to reach him and that he plans to make a phone call to Kim.
“I can now call him. I gave him a very direct number,” he told reporters at the White House. “He can now call me if he has any difficulty. We have communication.”
His remarks come days after his first and historic encounter in Singapore with the leader of the reclusive state on Tuesday.
Trump also said he plans to personally call Kim on Sunday.
Trump and Kim declared in a joint text following the summit their commitment toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula while guaranteeing the security of Kim’s dynastic regime. [Yonhap]
I wonder if Trump during the phone call will joke to Kim Jong-un to send him 25 million illegal Mexican immigrants?
What do I think about today's joint agreement? It has zero practical value. The U.S. could have extracted serious concessions, but it was not done. N.Korea will be emboldened and the U.S. got nothing: https://t.co/FXkkURMnpC
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