Tag: North Korea

This article makes me wonder if this is just more fake news or John Bolton signaling to North Korea that the US is serious enough about North Korea denuclearization to consider a military strike:

John Bolton, U.S. President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, still believes that a military strike on North Korea is a viable option as denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang are stalled, The New Yorker reported earlier this week.

Citing unnamed U.S. government officials, the magazine said in its profile of Bolton published on Monday that Bolton privately told White House aides that the second U.S.-North summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, was unlikely to succeed.

Despite months of engagement with the North and Trump’s bragging about falling in “love” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Bolton, according to the article, still believes that a strike is possible because the United States knows where most of North Korea’s nuclear weapons are.

“We can still do it,” a U.S. administration official cited Bolton as saying. “We know where most, if not all, of their weapons are. We could destroy their nuclear capability. There are ways to deal with their artillery.”

When asked about potential casualties, Bolton said he “wishes we weren’t at this point. But the military option remains viable.”

Other White House officials, on the other hand, are realizing that military force is not a realistic option, the source added. 

“I think we could have destroyed the North’s nuclear program in the 1990s. It was more concentrated and we knew where everything was,” the official said. “Not anymore. It’s too big and too dispersed.”

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

President Trump is confirming that they did not pay North Korea any money for the release of Otto Warmbier:

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said the United States did not pay any money to North Korea as it sought the release of Otto Warmbier, a day after a report said Trump had approved a $2 million bill from Pyongyang for the American student’s care.
“No money was paid to North Korea for Otto Warmbier, not two Million Dollars, not anything else,” Trump wrote in a tweet.
The Washington Post reported on Thursday that Trump had approved payment of a $2 million bill from Pyongyang to cover its care of the comatose college student, who was held in a North Korean prison for 17 months until June 2017.
Warmbier, a University of Virginia student from Ohio visiting North Korea as a tourist, was imprisoned in January 2016. He was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for allegedly trying to steal an item with a propaganda slogan from his hotel, North Korean state media said.
Warmbier died six days after his release from North Korea. An Ohio coroner said Warmbier died from a lack of oxygen and blood to his brain. North Korea, which has dismissed claims that it tortured the student, blamed food poisoning and a sleeping pill.
The Treasury Department received the bill from North Korea and it remained unpaid through 2017, the Post reported. It was not clear whether the administration paid the invoice later.

Yahoo News via a reader tip

You can read more at the link, but the real story is the media narrative being created by the Washington Post that originally published the article. Instead of getting a response from the Trump administration on if they paid for Warmbier’s release they write an article implicating that Trump paid “ransom” money for Warmbier’s release. Later after the news cycle has moved on and White House denies any payment, far fewer people see this news.

A #SouthKorean soldier lost his foot to mine. Senior military, trying to please #MoonJaein administration, created a "Foot for Peace" monument. And have the soldier there to celebrate the unveiling. Disgraceful, to say the least.https://t.co/wcVmlBNT3b

— Tara O (@DrTaraO) April 24, 2019

It looks like everything went as expected for the Kim-Putin summit in Vladivostok:

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday highlighted his “unwavering” will to cement ties with Russia while President Vladimir Putin made an emphatic call for a peaceful resolution of Pyongyang’s nuclear quandary.
The leaders held their first summit in Russia’s Far Eastern city of Vladivostok amid Pyongyang’s stalled nuclear negotiations with Washington.
The much-anticipated summit was seen as a key test of Kim’s diplomatic outreach aimed at breaking the logjam in the parley with the United States, easing sanctions pressure and catalyzing his lackluster drive for economic development.
“I had candid, meaningful talks with President Putin on the issues of developing the friendly relationship between North Korea and Russia, of guaranteeing peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, and common international issues,” Kim said during a dinner session after the summit that lasted for around three hours. (……)

During a press conference, Putin stressed the need for an “international” security guarantee for the North as part of efforts toward denuclearization and a lasting peace on the peninsula. He also said that multilateral talks on the North’s denuclearization, including long-stalled six-party dialogue, ought to resume if a need arises.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but Putin talking about how there needs to be an international security guarantee for the North to denuclearize I believe is code for withdrawal of USFK.

These two have much to discuss on how they plan to avoid international sanctions against North Korea:

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Vladivostok on his personal train, Wednesday, for a high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia gave a red-carpet welcome for Kim at the train station in the Russian Far Eastern city amid tight security.

En route to Vladivostok, Kim’s train stopped at Khasan near the border between the two countries at around 9:40 a.m. (KST).

Russian government officials greeted the North Korean leader with flowers, salt and bread, as part of a local tradition to welcome guests. Local media outlets reported that Kim said he would visit Russia again in the future.

Kim stayed at the station for about an hour before resuming his journey to Vladivostok.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

#NorthKorea's #KimJongUn thinks he can both intimidate and disrespect President #Trump. I think that could be Kim's last mistake. https://t.co/xItBOjdNv5

— Gordon G. Chang (@GordonGChang) April 19, 2019

It looks like if the the North Koreans want a deal, they are going to have to get one by going through Mike Pompeo first:

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday he will continue to lead nuclear talks with North Korea, dismissing the regime’s call for his replacement.   

In a news conference held after a meeting between U.S. and Japanese foreign and defense ministers, Pompeo said “nothing’s changed,” which is viewed as an open dismissal to North Korea’s request for his replacement with a “more mature” negotiator who can better communicate with the North. 

Pompeo said the U.S. continues to work to negotiate and that he is still in charge of the team. 

He said President Trump is obviously in charge of the overall effort, but it will be his team and Special Representative Stephen Biegun who will continue to lead U.S. efforts to achieve what the North Korean leader committed to do in June last year, which was to denuclearize.

KBS World Radio

You can read more at the link, but this seems like a miscalculation by North Korea if they thought President Trump would replace Pompeo.

#NorthKorean laborer in Russia jumped to death, couldn't stand exploitation. Had to pay large sums of money to the #KimJongUn regime, the company prez, etc. If can't pay due to lack of work in winter, it becomes debt. Was only able to save $1k in 4 yrs.https://t.co/5HtrkZpQVe

— Tara O (@DrTaraO) April 18, 2019