The Guardian: 'Peace-loving' North Korea claims credit for thaw with US
State media hits out at suggestions rapprochement on the peninsula is a result of sanctions and Donald Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ campaign
North Korea has commented for the first time on the recent rapprochement on the peninsula, saying warming relations with Seoul and Washington are thanks to its “proactive measure and peace-loving proposal”.
North Korea also dismissed suggestions international sanctions were the cause of improved ties in a commentary published by the country’s official Korean Central News Agency, instead saying diplomatic efforts were a sign of Pyongyang’s strength and confidence.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: One has to ask the question .... if President Trump was not so insistent on sanctions, would we be where we are today? Considering North Korea's behavior under Kim Jong-un for the past few years, I would say no. On a side note, the speculation is now on where will this summit be held .... DMZ? Sweden? Washington? Trump-Kim summit site rumors swirl (AP)
More News On North Korean Denying That Sanctions Forced It To Seek Talks
North Korea says sanctions did not push it to seek US talks -- BBC
N. Korea breaks silence on diplomatic thaw, denies sanctions drove it to dialogue -- Stars and Stripes/LATimes
Trump Had Nothing to Do With Korea Peace Talks, Says North Korea -- Newsweek
North Korean media lashes out at skeptics, softens tone on Seoul, U.S. -- UPI
N. Korea denies sanctions prompted diplomatic thaw -- AFP
NKorea says its diplomatic moves are not a sign of weakness -- AP
North Korea warns its detractors, notes an 'atmosphere for reconciliation' ahead of talks -- Washington Post
Kim Jong Un's “warm compatriotism” is responsible for thawing tensions, says Kim Jong Un -- VICE News
Update: South Korean President Moon wants trilateral talks ....
South Korea's Moon says three-way summit with North Korea, U.S. possible. -- Reuters
Moon: Trilateral summit with Seoul, U.S., North possible -- UPI
South Korea's Leader Floats 3-Way Talks With Trump and Kim Jong-un -- New York Times
5 comments:
Does Kim fly? I've read he has take trains into Russia and China. DMZ is too dangerous given past murders the NORKS have committed there. I can't see the US Secret Service approving.
I think getting sanctions in place has been a big part of this. Getting the Chinese and the Russians to agree to these sanctions was/is amazing. Also, America has a master negotiator and deal maker as POTUS now as opposed to the people who have held this position for the past 28 years or so prior to him who tended to make the decisions based upon ideology. People who make their decisions based upon ideology are generally easily manipulated.
There is another factor that I think is important that seems to be being overlooked by the media. During the campaign candidate Trump rightly called out several countries including South Korea by name as not carrying their weight. This essentially sent a loud and clear message to South Korea and its leadership that America's patience in serving as their b!tch boy was wearing thin and could not and will not be relied upon forever. As such, this has very likely provided strong incentive for South Korea to negotiate in good faith as well.
There is still much that can go wrong though. Several things to be concerned about, 1.)a South Korean sellout of the US, 2.)sanctions on North Korea may have a destabilizing effect on the governments of China and Russia as many in those countries have close ties to and want to do business with North Korea. We need the sanctions but push to hard and you risk undermining those governments. 3.)As the editor points out there are stupid people in the world much like the ones in various "western" governments who overreacted with additional sanctions and rhetoric against Russia before we could have possibly been able to determine who is behind the crime. At a time like this, extreme caution should be taken NOT to destabilize the governments of Russia and China. The world is full of stupid people though and one or more of these stupid people could foul this whole process up.
As long as conceal carry in effect, Trump will agree to any location.
Jim; brilliant!!
Actually the optics of this are very important. As such, very respectfully neither leader is going to "agree to any location."
Washington is out as a location because of the false messaging NK leaders have put out for many years that South Korea is a puppet of the US. For Kim to meet there is bad optics. Since this is a conflict between NK and SK that ultimately they will need to solve, the DMZ would likely work well for all parties. As for Sweden, it has a reputation as a neutral country. It would likely be agreeable to all parties as well. For obvious reasons, it would seem Seoul and Pyongyang are out of the question.
All of this talk about talks that have not even been scheduled yet nor are we close to scheduling them. Perhaps everyone should temper their exuberance.
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