Posted on 04/22/2019 1:33:00 AM PDT by AmericanInTokyo
Weeks after the collapse of the summit between Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, the North Korean leader finally broke his silence.
In a speech heavily focused on foreign affairs delivered to the Supreme Peoples Assembly North Koreas pro forma parliament Kim made clear his position.
He said that a third summit with Trump wasnt off the table just yet, but getting there would require evidence that the U.S. position on sanctions relief more seriously.
To this end, Kim also echoed a message he had originally delivered during his New Years Day address: that his patience is not infinite. He put in place a deadline for Trump. The United States would have to come around by the end of 2019.
While these were the headlines that came out of Kims speech, there were more ominous signs that North Korea may lessen its deference to Washington and resume provocative acts.
On Thursday, Kim oversaw the testing of a new tactical guided weapon, North Koreas first public weapons test since the second summit with Trump in February ended without agreement.
What is more important than a suggestion that a third U.S.-North Korea summit is still possible is Kims resumption of a discussion of the United States so-called hostile policy.
For decades, North Korea has used the phrase to describe a large basket of behaviours and capabilities it sees as threatening its existence and security.
In the latest speech, Kim pointed at the resumption of US-South Korea exercises under the new Dong Maeng moniker, a Korean term which means alliance in English.
While the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises that North Korea spent years fiercely protesting are no more, Kim is not convinced that Washington is behaving in the way that would see through the implementation of the June 12 declaration that Kim and Trump agreed to in Singapore.
And so, Kim suggested that there would be tit for tat.
As wind is bound to bring waves, the U.S. open hostile policy toward the DPRK will naturally bring our corresponding acts, he said.
Such a statement has multiple objectives. It will reassure hardliners within the regime who oppose talks with the U.S. and favour a self-reliant posture emphasising a strong national defence. Kim spoke directly to this constituency by emphasising the need for the expansion of military capabilities.
Another objective will be to communicate to Washington that without a change in course, Trump will lose the one thing he cherishes most about the ongoing detente with Pyongyang: the lack of any serious provocations such as nuclear or intercontinental-range ballistic missile tests....(Excerpt)
Absolutely!
In September of 2017, Trump and Xi publicly signed banking sanctions cutting off the DPRK from all financial institutions that use American or Chinese banks. The only people on earth more politically and economically isolated than North Korea are the North Sentinelese. Except the North Sentinelese have fewer enemies.
China knows Trump can respond if they are caught officially helping the DPRK under the table. For the most part China appears to be holding up its end of the agreement. This is slowly strangling the North Korean economy and there is nothing they can do about it. This takes time, and for now, Trump thinks he has the time.
John Bolton & Mike Pompeo sabotaged a good deal that President Trump was working on.
They are saboteurs & wreckers & threaten the Trump presidency.
Maybe Trump actually does reevaluate his NK strategy as he goes.
This might tend to make you feel a bit lonely. For only you, and Pyongyang at this point seem to have a major beef with the Secretary of State and the National Security Advisor. http://time.com/5574618/north-korea-criticizes-john-bolton/
North Korea exists because China exists. This is as much about Trump’s negotiations with China as it is about his negotiations with Kim. Kim came to the table because Trump squeezed China to cut them off. Once done Kim came to the table. Trump liked what he heard, let up a little with China and Kim started backing off to test if Trump would squeeze China again. Right now Trump should be squeezing China again to cut them of totally again to show Kim that Trump he is not Carter, Clinton or Bush and the stick rather than the carrot is his go to tool.That should get him back to the table again.
You’re giddy!
Giddy? Well, something...
I haven’t seen one single person here describe Kim as anything other than what he is.
That was hysterics in addition to anything else.
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