05-24-2019, 07:28 PM
** 24-May-2019 World View: Kim Jong-un says N. Korea denuclearization talks are over
What is becoming increasingly apparent is that the failed February 28
summit meeting in Hanoi between Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim
Jong-un was the climax of North Korea's entire strategy in US-NK
negotiations.
In other words, Kim's entire "charm offensive" strategy was building
to the February 28 summit, where he expected diplomatic pressure to
force Trump to agree to remove the sanctions with nothing in return.
With that strategy having failed on February 28, Kim has nothing left
except threats.
On Friday, the North Korean news service KCNA posted the following:
The statement doesn't explain what "device" is being referred to. It
also doesn't explain what the "completely irrelevant issue" is,
through I assume it's the request by the American side to provide a
list of all nuclear and missile development sites.
The only "crucial and meaningful measures" that the North Koreans have
taken were easily reversible. The major one was blowing up the
Punggye-ri nuclear test site, but later satellite imagery sgiwed that
the site is still usable, and that several dozen personnel are still
working there.
The US has also taken a reversible "meaningful measure" -- namely
canceling all joint military drills with the South Koreans. However,
some drills have resumed, because ending them hasn't been
reciprocated.
Three weeks ago, the North Koreans tested some short-range ballistic
missiles, claiming that they didn't violate the existing agreement
with the US. However, these are exactly the kinds of missiles that
the North would use to attack Seoul.
The point is that nothing has really changed since the February 28
summit, and nothing is expected to change -- unless the North begins
testing nuclear weapons and missiles again, and that would trigger a
strong reaction.
The NK News has published an article listing the seven things that are
really pissing the North Koreans off. The article is long, but there
are the seven things:
Another issue is that in April 2018, Indonesia seized the Wise Honest,
North Korea's second-largest cargo ship, because it was transporting a
large amount of coal, in violation of the United Nations sanctions.
On May 9, the US took control of the ship, and is still holding it.
On Tuesday, North Korea's UN ambassador called the seizure illegal,
and threatened: "The United States should deliberate and think over
the consequences its outrageous acts might have on the future
development."
The real question is what will happen if/when the North Koreans resume
tests of nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles.
As I've pointed out in the past, China does not want North Korea to
resume these tests. Thanks to the North Korea tests, South Korea has
deployed a THAAD missile defense system that China absolutely hates.
What China wants is for America to withdraw forces from the region,
but North Korea's tests cause the opposite. They also provide support
to Japan's hawks to implement its own nuclear weapons. A resumption
of tests would probably bring more US forces into the region.
--- Sources:
-- U.S. Is Accountable for Rupture of Hanoi Summit Talks: DPRK Foreign
Ministry Spokesperson
http://kcna.kp/kcna.user.article.retriev...List.kcmsf
(KCNA, North Korea, 24-May-2019)
-- North Korea warns U.S. nuclear talks will never resume without 'new
calculation'
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-north...SKCN1SU0Z6
(Reuters, 24-May-2019)
-- North Korea’s seven Furies: what’s got Kim Jong Un hot under the
collar?
https://www.nknews.org/2019/05/north-kor...he-collar/
(NK News, 24-May-2019)
-- At rare UN news conference, North Korea warns US over seized ship
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/r...16437.html
(Al-Jazeera, 22-May-2019)
-- North Korea's Joe Biden 'imbecile' insult and what it tells us
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-48367261
(BBC, 22-May-2019)
What is becoming increasingly apparent is that the failed February 28
summit meeting in Hanoi between Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim
Jong-un was the climax of North Korea's entire strategy in US-NK
negotiations.
In other words, Kim's entire "charm offensive" strategy was building
to the February 28 summit, where he expected diplomatic pressure to
force Trump to agree to remove the sanctions with nothing in return.
With that strategy having failed on February 28, Kim has nothing left
except threats.
On Friday, the North Korean news service KCNA posted the following:
Quote: "U.S. Is Accountable for Rupture of Hanoi Summit
Talks: DPRK Foreign Ministry Spokesperson
Pyongyang, May 24 (KCNA) -- A spokesperson for the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
(DPRK) gave the following answer to a question put by KCNA on May
24, as regards the attempt revealing within the United States to
impute to the DPRK the cause for the rupture of the Hanoi
DPRK-U.S. summit talks:
As we have stated before, the underlying cause of setback of the
DPRK-U.S. summit talks in Hanoi is the arbitrary and dishonest
position taken by the United States, insisting on a method which
is totally impossible to get through.
For the sake of building confidence, a main key to an alleviation
of the DPRK-U.S. hostile relations, we took crucial and meaningful
measures of a strategically decisive nature including the
discontinuation of nuclear test and test-fire of intercontinental
ballistic missile, and we also took a broadminded step towards the
realization of the repatriation of the American POW/MIA remains.
However, the United States did not respond to our goodwill
measures in the same manner, but deliberately pushed the talks to
a rupture by merely claiming the unilateral disarmament of the
DPRK.
Notwithstanding the above facts, the United States attempts to
ascribe the setback of the DPRK-U.S. summit talks in Hanoi to a
completely irrelevant issue and to impute the responsibility for
the ruptured talks to the DPRK. Such American ulterior intention
definitely needs to be brought to the attention.
We hereby make it clear once again that the United States would
not be able to move us even an inch with the device it is now
weighing in its mind, and the further its mistrust and hostile
acts towards the DPRK grow, the fiercer our reaction will be.
Unless the United States puts aside the current method of
calculation and comes forward with a new method of calculation,
the DPRK-U.S. dialogue will never be resumed and by extension, the
prospect for resolving the nuclear issue will be much gloomy.
The U.S. would be well advised to wake up to reality and learn
anew how to have dialogue and negotiation."
The statement doesn't explain what "device" is being referred to. It
also doesn't explain what the "completely irrelevant issue" is,
through I assume it's the request by the American side to provide a
list of all nuclear and missile development sites.
The only "crucial and meaningful measures" that the North Koreans have
taken were easily reversible. The major one was blowing up the
Punggye-ri nuclear test site, but later satellite imagery sgiwed that
the site is still usable, and that several dozen personnel are still
working there.
The US has also taken a reversible "meaningful measure" -- namely
canceling all joint military drills with the South Koreans. However,
some drills have resumed, because ending them hasn't been
reciprocated.
Three weeks ago, the North Koreans tested some short-range ballistic
missiles, claiming that they didn't violate the existing agreement
with the US. However, these are exactly the kinds of missiles that
the North would use to attack Seoul.
The point is that nothing has really changed since the February 28
summit, and nothing is expected to change -- unless the North begins
testing nuclear weapons and missiles again, and that would trigger a
strong reaction.
The NK News has published an article listing the seven things that are
really pissing the North Koreans off. The article is long, but there
are the seven things:
- 1: FRUSTRATION WITH THE NO-DEAL SUMMIT
- 2. HATRED OF OBSTRUCTORS - blaming John Bolton and Mike Pompeo
- 3. IRRITATING BY BAD ADVICE - this refers to the bad advice that
Kim received that led to the February 28 summit disaster
- 4. LACK OF PROGRESS ON THE INTER-KOREAN FRONT - blaming South
Korea for not providing humanitarian assistance (money)
- 5. EMBARRASSED BY THE “MEDIATOR” - blaming South Korea President
Moon Jae-in for siding with the US rather than with North Korea
- 6. OUTRAGE OVER MILITARY DRILLS - fury at the military drills
between US and South Korea
- 7. INSULTED BY FOOD AID - fury at South Korea linking food aid to
the North-South relationship
Another issue is that in April 2018, Indonesia seized the Wise Honest,
North Korea's second-largest cargo ship, because it was transporting a
large amount of coal, in violation of the United Nations sanctions.
On May 9, the US took control of the ship, and is still holding it.
On Tuesday, North Korea's UN ambassador called the seizure illegal,
and threatened: "The United States should deliberate and think over
the consequences its outrageous acts might have on the future
development."
The real question is what will happen if/when the North Koreans resume
tests of nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles.
As I've pointed out in the past, China does not want North Korea to
resume these tests. Thanks to the North Korea tests, South Korea has
deployed a THAAD missile defense system that China absolutely hates.
What China wants is for America to withdraw forces from the region,
but North Korea's tests cause the opposite. They also provide support
to Japan's hawks to implement its own nuclear weapons. A resumption
of tests would probably bring more US forces into the region.
--- Sources:
-- U.S. Is Accountable for Rupture of Hanoi Summit Talks: DPRK Foreign
Ministry Spokesperson
http://kcna.kp/kcna.user.article.retriev...List.kcmsf
(KCNA, North Korea, 24-May-2019)
-- North Korea warns U.S. nuclear talks will never resume without 'new
calculation'
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-north...SKCN1SU0Z6
(Reuters, 24-May-2019)
-- North Korea’s seven Furies: what’s got Kim Jong Un hot under the
collar?
https://www.nknews.org/2019/05/north-kor...he-collar/
(NK News, 24-May-2019)
-- At rare UN news conference, North Korea warns US over seized ship
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/r...16437.html
(Al-Jazeera, 22-May-2019)
-- North Korea's Joe Biden 'imbecile' insult and what it tells us
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-48367261
(BBC, 22-May-2019)
