Per 11 UN resolutions, NK required to abandon nuke, missile, and BCW programs in “complete, verifiable, irreversible manner.” KJU doles our morsels at his pace and demands reciprocal actions. Like a criminal asking the cop, “what will you give me for not robbing a bank today?” https://t.co/QAzKBa0c53
This was a pretty blunt reaction by President Trump to South Korea’s proposal to drop sanctions on North Korea:
South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon speaks at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018.
South Korea on Thursday walked back on a proposal to lift some of its unilateral sanctions against North Korea following U.S. President Donald Trump’s blunt retort that Seoul could “do nothing” without Washington’s approval.
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha had said on Wednesday that Seoul was considering lifting measures applied after a deadly attack in 2010 that killed 46 South Korean sailors. She cited the intent to create more diplomatic momentum for talks over North Korea’s nuclear program.
South Korean conservatives reacted with anger as well, and Kang’s ministry downplayed her comments later, saying in a statement that the government has yet to start a “full-fledged” review of sanctions, meaning no decision was imminent.
Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon told a parliamentary audit on Thursday there has been no serious consideration given to lifting the sanctions and that doing so would be hard unless North Korea acknowledges responsibility for the 2010 attack. North Korea has fiercely denied it sank the Cheonan warship. (………..)
“They won’t do that without our approval,” Trump said of the comments. “They do nothing without our approval.” [Stars & Stripes]
You can read more at the link, but it appears there may be some friction coming out of the White House over President Moon’s willingness to push for dropping sanctions for little to nothing in return from North Korea.
Of course the Moon administration is going to continue to say USFK will stay after the signing of any North Korean peace treaty:
As the ongoing peace gestures from North Korea cast doubt on the future of the United States Forces Korea (USFK), a group of U.S.-allied countries ― such as South Korea and Japan ― are on track to underline the need to maintain U.S. troops here.
The controversy surrounding the USFK started making headlines here in June when U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his strong desire to withdraw or at least reduce the U.S. military presence here, saying South Korea does not properly pay for its maintenance cost.
For South Korea and Japan, however, the possible withdrawal of the USFK is a worst-case scenario to weaken their security readiness and generate a potential crack in their long-term defense posture.
The USFK here has for decades served as a war deterrent, preventing North Korea from staging large-scale military provocations against the South since 1953 when the Korean War ended in an armistice.
But starting this year, North Korea has urged the South and the U.S. to declare an end to the war as soon as possible, in what critics view is the regime’s apparent move to pull out the potentially threatening U.S. troops.
For this reason, there is a lingering concern that the ongoing peace mood and the possible declaration of the technical state of war here may result in the withdrawal of the USFK in the end.
South Korea is in a position that the USFK withdrawal will never turn into reality at least for the time being.
Park Han-ki, the nominee for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), said last week the potential declaration of the end to the war has nothing to do with the existence of the United Nations Command (UNC) and the USFK.
“Even if the two Koreas declare an end to the war, the Korean Armistice Agreement (signed in 1953 between the North, China and the UNC) will remain in effect,” Park said in a National Assembly confirmation hearing, dispelling concerns over the possible withdrawal of the USFK.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in also recently called the USFK a peacekeeper here, saying the U.S. troops will continue to play a role for the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia. [Korea Times]
What the ROK government is saying now about USFK is intended to convince the Trump administration and US politicians to go along with signing the peace treaty. At a time to be determined in the future the South Korean leftist activists will then be unleashed on USFK to protest every car accident, oil spill, etc. in effort to make life difficult for the US military presence in South Korea. It will essentially be the 2002-2004 timeframe all over again.
In addition to the protests the ROK could also play hardball on funding the US-ROK alliance and make environmental compensation demands over the closing of Yongsan Garrison. The Moon administration’s goal will be to convince the Trump administration to withdraw US troops on its own accord and not at the request of the ROK government.
The Moon administration says providing electricity, tap water not violating sanctions. The SK-NK mil agmt states inter-Korean road must be built by the year end & ensure "customs" in the E & W corridors. It imported NK coal many times. Do they not read the UNSCRs? #sanctionshttps://t.co/jLbqskBRd6
Trading away our national security & that of our allies for a short-term political advantage. Which it is, because Pyongyang isn't disarming. https://t.co/YYEj7uqPwL
I still can’t think of one thing the Kim regime has done to really denuclearize or even pose less of a threat to the ROK. The North Korean artillery and troops are still forward deployed on the DMZ. Why doesn’t the Moon administration at least demand they withdraw North Korean troops 50 kilometers north of the DMZ for example before considering dropping sanctions?:
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha takes an oath during a parliamentary audit of her ministry’s affairs at its headquarters in Seoul on Oct. 10, 2018. (Yonhap)
South Korea is reviewing whether to lift its sanctions against North Korea, Seoul’s top diplomat said Wednesday, amid a summit-driven reconciliatory mood.
“A review (of the issue) is under way” in consultation with other related government agencies, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told lawmakers during an annual parliamentary audit of the ministry. She did not elaborate.
The Ministry of Unification, which handles inter-Korean affairs, is in charge of the issue.
Kang was responding to a question about whether the government is willing to lift the sanctions, called the May 24 Measure, imposed after the North’s deadly torpedo attack on a South Korean warship, the Cheonan, in 2010.
The previous conservative administration of Lee Myung-bak introduced the sanctions to prevent almost all inter-Korean ties except for humanitarian assistance.
Despite some cross-border exchanges this year, the main elements of the sanctions, such as a ban on trade and investment, remain valid, overlapping with the U.N.-led punishments of Pyongyang for its nuclear and missile programs.
Kang indicated that the government is considering the removal of the May 24 Measure largely as a symbolic step meant to help improve the Seoul-Pyongyang relations.
“It’s an important executive order. (We) have constantly reviewed it,” she pointed out. “As there are many (bilateral) sanctions overlapping the U.N. ones, it won’t necessarily mean the substantive lifting (of sanctions on the North).” [Yonhap]
The dropping of the sanctions by the ROK just further signals to other countries that it is okay to trade with North Korea. We already see various countries helping North Korea cheat on sanctions and South Korea is just giving them further reason why it is okay to cheat.
I am willing to be this is President Moon’s idea to further help reform the image of Kim Jong-un:
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will invite Pope Francis to the communist nation’s capital Pyongyang, promising a “fervent welcome” during the papal visit, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday.
In a briefing, presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said Kim’s invitation would be delivered to the Pope when President Moon Jae-in visits Vatican City.
Moon is expected to visit the Vatican on Oct. 17-18, part of a nine-day European tour starting Oct. 13.
“President Moon suggested that Chairman Kim meet the Pope, pointing out that he is very much interested in peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Kim told reporters. “Kim promised Moon he would give a fervent welcome to the Pope if he visited Pyongyang.” [Korea Times]
I guess we will see if the Pope is willing to be a propaganda tool for the Moon administration and the Kim regime to help reform Kim Jong-un’s image in order to help get sanctions dropped and their confederation idea implemented.
Did KJU really say "inspectors" in Korean? Are both sides using same word & definition? Will they really get to inspect & with what equipment, or just observe? "Inspections," "tour/visit" all different for NK in past. And KCNA readout different emphasis vs State: prep for summit. https://t.co/U78ioocPG5
More satire. north Korea always has to one up everyone and in this case showing off their advanced fax technology. I do not know why they have to do this with a state radio speaker in every home so they can hear directly from their dictator. https://t.co/NxWf47HbPS
President Moon is pretty repeating the North Korean, Russian, and positions on the Korean peninsula:
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said a “new order” was in the making on the Korean Peninsula, with a rapidly changing diplomatic dynamic surrounding North Korea.
Remarking on an expected visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to Russia and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s possible reciprocal visit to Pyongyang in coming weeks, Moon said a new order was being “established on the Korean Peninsula,” which he said would pave the way for setting up a new order in Northeast Asia during a cabinet meeting at the Blue House.
“Aside from the second North-U.S. summit,” he said, “North Korean leader Kim is expected to visit Russia while Xi Jinping of China is expected to make a visit to the North. A North-Japan summit is also an open possibility.
“In other words, a new order on the Korean Peninsula is being established.”
Moon went on to say that what he described as a “new order” was a must for the two Koreas to set in place a permanent peace regime and achieve the “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read more at the link, but the “new order” Moon is likely talking about is the confederation between North and South Korea on the Kim regime’s terms. Also notice how he says the “complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula”. This is the same terms the North Koreans have been using. South Korea does not have nuclear weapons so the term can only mean ending the US nuclear umbrella protection of South Korea and thus the end of the US-ROK alliance.
It seems it is becoming clearer and clearer that this is the ultimate end game for the Moon administration.
