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.
Trump's incompetence is just mind-blowing. Anyone could have told you that the Chinese would hit back across issue-linkages if we targeted its export trade. Presumably they'll be tougher on the South China Sea too. Was there any US counter-planning for this near-certainty on /1 https://t.co/YXZSYaF1pI
This is just another indication that President Trump is not about to sign up for a “pretend denuclearization” deal with the North Koreans like Seoul, Beijing, and Moscow want him to do:
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, second from left, is greeted by North Korean Director of the United Front Department Kim Yong Chol, center, and North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, second from right, as he arrives at Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, on July 6, 2018.
South Korea on Saturday called the U.S. decision to call off a trip to North Korea by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo unfortunate and said that continued diplomacy was most crucial in resolving the nuclear standoff with Pyongyang.
The statement by the Foreign Ministry in Seoul came hours after President Donald Trump directed Pompeo to delay his trip because of what he saw as a lack of progress on nuclear disarmament talks with the North. Trump also said the nuclear negotiations with North Korea have been hampered by the lack of support from China, the North’s only major ally that’s engaged in an intensifying trade dispute with the United States.
While describing the delayed trip as a setback, the ministry said it would be most important for the allies to pursue “substantial progress” on denuclearization. South Korea expects China to continue serving a “constructive role” in international efforts to solve the nuclear crisis and noted that Beijing continues to express commitment to fully implement sanctions against the North, the ministry said.
“While we consider the delay of the visit to North Korea as unfortunate, we believe it’s most important for the North Korea-U.S. dialogue including Secretary Pompeo’s visits to North Korea to contribute to substantial progress in complete denuclearization and the establishment of a permanent peace regime in the Korean Peninsula.” [Associated Press]
You can read more at the link, but what is going on is that I think President Trump is sending a message to not only North Korea, but to Beijing and Seoul as well. China is not strictly enforcing sanctions on North Korea and even the South Koreans have not been effectively enforcing sanctions either. This is going to come down to who is going to blink first because the North Koreans will not commit to real denuclearization unless sanctions are fully enforced on them. As long as other countries like China continue to not strictly enforce sanctions the Kim regime will feel no expediency to denuclearize at the pace the Trump administration wants.
Judging by these statements it appears that President Trump is not about to agree to any “pretend denuclearization” deal with North Korea in return for dropping sanctions:
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday North Korea must “get rid of the nukes” before seeing any relief from international sanctions, making clear that he’s waiting for more tangible actions on denuclearization.
Speaking at a rally in West Virginia, Trump said he wanted to take the “massive sanctions” imposed on the North for its nuclear and long-range missile tests and launches “off quickly,” but emphasized Pyongyang must take denuclearization steps first.
“Can I be honest? I haven’t taken off the sanctions. We have massive sanctions,” said the former real estate mogul before cheering crowds. “I want to take them off quickly. But they have got to get rid of the nukes. Got to get rid of the nukes,” stressed Trump.
Trump’s remarks jibed with the U.S. government’s decision on Tuesday to slap sanctions on two Russian shipping companies and six Russian vessels for under-the-table dealings with North Korea in violation of UN sanctions. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read more at the link, but it will be interesting to see what the Kim regime will do in response. They could just decide to wait out the clock and see if President Trump is defeated in the next election and try again for a “pretend denuclearization” deal with another President.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what to call the North Koreans since South Korea doesn’t want to use the word “enemy”?:
South Korea is considering deleting its reference to North Korea’s military as “our enemy” in its defense white paper to be published later this year, multiple government sources in Seoul said Wednesday.
The move is in line with the April inter-Korean summit agreement to halt “all hostile acts” against each other, seek to alleviate tensions and “practically eliminate the danger of war.”
“It would be contradictory if we hold consultations (with the North) over measures to halt hostile acts, which are mentioned in the Panmunjom Declaration, while leaving the description of the North Korean military as an enemy in our government’s official paper,” a government source told Yonhap News Agency on condition of anonymity.
“We have been striving to come up with a way to use a phrase or word that would sufficiently reflect the North’s military threat instead of using the ‘enemy’ expression,” he added. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but here we go again with the pretend game. We already have “pretend denuclearization” going on and now we have “pretend non-enemies”.
we are nearing the point where the u.s. will need to decide whether to acknowledge that the dprk isn’t disarming and never agreed to, or get angry that the dprk is breaking promises it never made https://t.co/NyMRRAq35b
The North and South Korean governments are trying to use this week’s inter-Korean family reunions to create a strong emotional response both domestically and internationally to justify future economic cooperation. However, sanctions continue to be in place against North Korea over their nuclear program which prevents the South Korean government from giving the Kim regime the payday the Kim regime has long wanted. However, if the ROK government pushes the Trump administration on this issue President Trump should hold a press conference with Mr. Hwang In-cheol and other abductees and ask when their family reunions are going to happen?:
As a lucky few Korean families meet decades after being divided by war, Hwang In-cheol looks on lamenting the absence of his father, whose plane was hijacked by the North.
Hwang was only two when his father Won left for a business trip in 1969, never to return. Now 50, he has spent his life missing a man he only knows from pictures.
Scores of elderly North and South Koreans who were separated by the 1950-53 conflict met for the first time in decades Monday, hugging each other tearfully.
But none of them was among the thousands of South Koreans Seoul says were kidnapped by the North after the war.
“The sight of the families reuniting looks very nice but these one-time reunions are not a solution to the problem,” Hwang said.
“I hope that day for me comes soon. I’m hoping that my father will be alive until then.” [Japan Times via a reader tip]
You can read more at the link, but Mr. Hwang’s father was abducted as part of the hijacking of Korean Air YS-11 back in 1969. You can read about the hijacking at the below link:
It's remarkable how far down you have to read in some news articles to see that these “reunions” are closely monitored & brief visits, terminated by the abductee’s return to captivity & isolation. What a heartbreaking “reunion” that must be. https://t.co/WgCK1McSnQ
I wonder how much money the Kim regime pocketed for allowing this hike? Important information that was not included in the article:
In this Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018, photo, Sinead of Australia, left, and Tarjei Naess Skrede of Norway walk past North Korean soldiers during a hike arranged by Roger Shepherd of Hike Korea on Mount Paektu in North Korea. Hoping to open up a side of North Korea rarely seen by outsiders, Shepherd, a New Zealander who has extensive experience climbing the mountains of North and South Korea is leading the first group of foreign tourists allowed to trek off road and camp out under the stars on Mount Paektu, a huge volcano that straddles the border that separates China and North Korea.
Foreign tourists looking to go off the beaten path in North Korea can now camp out on the country’s biggest volcano.
Hoping to open up a side of North Korea rarely seen by outsiders, a New Zealander who has extensive experience climbing the mountains of North and South Korea is leading the first group of foreign tourists allowed to trek off road and camp out under the stars on Mount Paektu, a huge volcano that straddles the border that separates China and North Korea.
Paektu was in 946 AD the site of one of the largest eruptions in history. It is considered one of the most beautiful natural sites in North Korea and is still active, though there haven’t been any big eruptions in recent years.
It’s revered in the North for its links to the ruling Kim family and is considered the spiritual home of the Korean revolution. Trips to the mountain are popular with North Koreans who visit with their schools, work units or other social groups on excursions that are part indoctrination and part recreation. It’s also popular with Chinese tourists and smaller foreign tour groups who can stay in nearby hotels and drive right up to its crater to see the blue waters of Lake Chon in Paektu’s caldera.
But Roger Shepherd, founder of Hike Korea, which is based in the South, managed to convince North Korean government officials to let him take his guests off the beaten path for the first time.
The area around the mountain features several reconstructed “secret campsites” said to have been used by national founder Kim Il Sung and his guerrillas in the fight against the Japanese colonial rulers before 1945 — a possible reason why the idea of allowing a foreign camping excursion clicked with the local authorities. But Shepherd’s group has for the most part managed to avoid the typical mini-bus and propaganda lecture experience that often awaits foreign tourists here.
On Saturday, the group climbed the mountain from near its base, walked to the lake from the rim and then hiked out across a volcanic plateau to pitch their tents for the first of five nights they were to spend on the hike. [Associated Press]
You can read more at the link, but this hike that was allowed by the North Korean authorities, is clearly being used to draw more western tourists to hike Mt. Paekdu. More tourists means more foreign currency for the Kim regime.
If people’s conscious is okay with their money supporting a regime that operates gulags, launches deadly provocations, sends out hitmen to kill people, and threatens neighbors in the region with nuclear weapons then feel free to go hiking in North Korea.
North Korea has agreed to provide key information to the United States about its nuclear warheads and secret test sites, sources said Tuesday.
“North Korea plans to hand over a list of its secret nuclear test sites as well as information about its nuclear warheads to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo when he visits Pyongyang this month,” one source told The Korea Times.
He said chances are high that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will meet Pompeo in person to discuss details about how and when the North will abandon its nuclear weapons. During his previous visit to Pyongyang, Pompeo said his team was hoping that “we can make a big step here before too long.”
“Washington was demanding Pyongyang hand over a list of all things relating to its nuclear capabilities. It’s uncertain whether the North accepted this request; but submitting a list of nuclear capabilities including sites will push forward the nuclear disarmament talks which have been stalled,” said another source asking for anonymity. [Korea Times]
You can read more at the link, but this is just a list and who knows if it is a complete list? Judging by past North Korean behavior it is likely incomplete. Additionally a list is not denuclearization, this is just more pretend denuclearization. When the warheads and nuclear material begin to flow out of the country that is when I will be convinced the Kim regime is serious about denuclearizing.
According to the article the Moon administration supports pretend denuclearization. With the submitting of the list the Moon administration is expected to ask the Trump administration to drop sanctions and give Kim Jong-un his long awaited pay day for doing little in return. I guess we will see in the coming weeks if the Trump administration will support pretend denuclearization or not.
