Free Republic

In a secret underground base, Command Post Tango, the combined headquarters of the U.S.-South Korean command, is abuzz with activity. North Korean artillery has pummeled sites around Seoul, leaving thousands of South Korean and American civilians and service members dead. A toxic combination of North Korean provocations and U.S. escalation has prompted the North to launch a last-ditch effort to seize the whole peninsula. As the generals fill an auditorium-sized sand-table battlefield showing the disposition of friendly forces and the extent of likely follow-up attacks, hundreds of thousands of South Koreans are displaced in and around Seoul, seeking shelter and...

North Korea said the "military confrontation" between Pyongyang and Washington must come to an end, in order for trust to develop between the two countries. Workers' Party Newspaper Rodong Sinmun said Thursday the solution is a "declaration of the end of war," a reference to the 1950-53 conflict that ended in a truce and a divided peninsula. "As the military confrontation ends through the declaration of the end of war, an atmosphere conducive to trust building will emerge," the Rodong article stated. The Rodong stated the declaration of the war's end is a priority and a "necessity for the times."...

“There's nobody in this administration starry-eyed about the prospects of North Korea actually denuclearizing,” Bolton told "Fox News Sunday." “The president is giving Kim Jong Un a master class in how to hold a door open for somebody, and if the North Koreans can't figure out how to walk through it, even the president's fiercest critics will not be able to say it's because he didn't open it wide enough.” Bolton also said that there might be a time when Trump has to call out Kim for not being serious about denuclearizing and the administration will have to admit that...

“The United States has lived up to the Singapore declaration,” Bolton said in an interview on Fox News, referring to the framework Trump and Kim agreed to during their summit in June. “It’s just North Korea that has not taken the steps we feel are necessary to denuclearize.” The idea that we’re going to relax the sanctions just on North Korea’s say-so, I think, is something that just isn’t under consideration,” Bolton said. “We’re going to continue to apply maximum pressure to North Korea until they denuclearize, just as we are to Iran. The president feels very strongly about it.”...

North Korea believes there is a "strong possibility" of a second summit between the country's leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump, according to an official with close knowledge of Pyongyang's position on the matter. The official pointed to a recent exchange of letters between Trump and Kim as a positive sign, adding that although the date and location of the summit have yet to be determined, it would take place "sometime later this year." The news came as doubts mounted over whether Trump's historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June would deliver its...

<p>North Korea has not stopped its nuclear and missile programmes in violation of United Nations sanctions, according to a confidential UN report seen by Reuters on Friday (Aug 3).</p> <p>The six-month report by independent experts monitoring the implementation of UN sanctions was submitted to the Security Council North Korea sanctions committee late on Friday.</p>

US President Donald Trump received a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as the two continue to discuss Pyongyang’s commitment at a recent Singapore summit to rid itself of nuclear weapons, but no second meeting is currently planned, the White House said on Thursday. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump had received a letter from Kim on Wednesday and had responded with a note that should be delivered shortly. Trump also posted a note on Twitter on Thursday thanking Kim for returning the remains of US soldiers and saying he looked forward to seeing Kim again. “He...

The Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party has decreed that North Korea will not relinquish its nuclear arsenal, which it termed a “precious legacy” of the country’s late leaders, according to local sources, despite an earlier pledge by party chairman Kim Jong Un to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.Kim held historic talks with South Korea’s Moon Jae-in in April, as well as an unprecedented summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in June, and agreed—in principle—to abandoning the North’s nuclear weapons program in exchange for promises of regime security and economic prosperity.But a lack of any concrete agreement on steps to...

The think tank 38 North has obtained satellite images that they say show North Korea has begun dismantling key facilities at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station, which is used to develop engines for ballistic missiles. 38 North report key facts: Commercial satellite imagery of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station indicates dismantling of key facilities has startedThe rail-mounted processing/transfer structure has been moved and partly dismantledMost of the vertical engine stand has been removed It is good news, nuclear expert and MIT Associate Professor Vipin Narang has told PM, "but there are a couple of caveats."It has taken five weeks for...

North Korea appears to have started dismantling key facilities at a rocket-engine test center, a group of experts said Monday, potentially marking a significant step after last month's summit between Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump. According to the respected 38 North group, commercial satellite imagery of the Sohae satellite launching station indicates Pyongyang has begun taking down a processing building and a rocket-engine test stand that had been used to test liquid-fuel engines...

new commercial satellite imagery of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station (North Korea’s main satellite launch facility since 2012) indicates that the North has begun dismantling key facilities. Most notably, these include the rail-mounted processing building—where space launch vehicles are prepared before moving them to the launch pad—and the nearby rocket engine test stand used to develop liquid-fuel engines for ballistic missiles and space launch vehicles. Since these facilities are believed to have played an important role in the development of technologies for the North’s intercontinental ballistic missile program, these efforts represent a significant confidence building measure on the part of...

MORE WINNING....!!!!! WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Satellite images indicate North Korea has begun dismantling key facilities at a site used to develop engines for ballistic missiles, in a first step toward fulfilling a pledge made to U.S. President Donald Trump at a June summit, a Washington-based think tank said on Monday. .... More at link. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-site/images-indicate-north-korea-dismantling-facilities-at-test-site-report-idUSKBN1KD2HW TRUMP.......MAGA....!!!

In an important first step towards fulfilling a commitment made by Kim Jong Un at the June 12 Singapore Summit, new commercial satellite imagery of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station (North Korea’s main satellite launch facility since 2012) indicates that the North has begun dismantling key facilities. Most notably, these include the rail-mounted processing building—where space launch vehicles are assembled before moving them to the launch pad—and the nearby rocket engine test stand used to develop liquid-fuel engines for ballistic missiles and space launch vehicles. Since these facilities are believed to have played an important role in the development of...

The U.S. is calling out China and Russia for helping North Korea violate United Nations sanctions as the regime smuggles in more oil than is allowed. The illegal transfers are now disrupting the U.S. talks with North Korea and its push for the regime to completely dismantle its nuclear weapons program, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. Pompeo traveled to New York Friday to join Haley for a meeting with the U.N. Security Council representatives, including Chinese and Russian representatives, for what Haley called "frank talk." "We put pressure today...

On Saturday, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough accused President Donald Trump of forcing the summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un for the headlines. “Proving once again that only fools rush in, Trump forced a summit for cheap headlines,” Scarborough wrote. He added: “In the process, he gave legitimacy to the most oppressive communist regime on the planet, further damaged the United States and made himself look like a fool.” He also included a link to a Washington Post article that read, in part: “In a sharp signal that denuclearization negotiations with North Korea will be drawn out and difficult,...

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday shrugged off North Korea’s accusation of the U.S. making “gangster-like” demands regarding denuclearization, saying he’d “go nuts” if he paid attention to everything the media reports. In a trilateral news conference in Tokyo, accompanied by officials from Japan and South Korea, Pompeo reaffirmed the U.S. goal of complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, reiterating that his talks with North Korea last week were conducted in “good faith.” When a reporter asked about North Korea’s Saturday comments, Pompeo didn’t seem too bothered. “Look, people are going to make stray comments after...

North Korea on Saturday accused the U.S. of undermining the spirit of last month’s summit between President Trump and Kim Jong Un after what it says were “regrettable” talks with a delegation led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. A statement by the North Korean Foreign Ministry, accusing the U.S. of trying to unilaterally pressure the country into abandoning its nuclear weapons, came shortly after Pompeo’s delegation left the country. "We had expected that the U.S. side would offer constructive measures that would help build trust based on the spirit of the leaders' summit ... we were also thinking about...

Looks like the two sides of the North Korean nuclear crisis have their wires crossed. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo led two days of talks with the Kim regime and offered a positive take on progress as he left Pyongyang. The North Koreans disagreed: BREAKING: North Korea Foreign Ministry says talks with Pompeo 'regrettable,' accuses US of unilateral demands for denuclearization.— The Associated Press (@AP) July 7, 2018 North Korea says high-level talks with a U.S. delegation led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were “regrettable” and has accused Washington of trying to unilaterally pressure the country into abandoning...

The US government sent a letter to North Korea from “President of the United States Donald Trump” via Panmunjeom on July 1 ahead of a scheduled third visit to the North by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on July 6, sources reported. A foreign affairs source informed on developments in the Korean Peninsula political situation said on July 2 that the US had apparently sent Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim and CIA Korea Mission Center Chief Andrew Kim to Panmunjeom to deliver an “important letter” to Workers’ Party of Korea vice chairman and United Front Department director Kim Yong-chol....

Are the United States and North Korea headed for the ultimate of summer blockbusters: another nuclear showdown? At least for the moment, all sign point to a solid yes. And the American people need to take notice. Lost in the headlines over a fiery battle over immigration, a looming Supreme Court pick and Fourth of July cookout plans, a slow crisis is brewing on the Korean Peninsula once again. In what can only be described as a bombshell report, NBC News broke details of a shocking new U.S. intelligence assessment on North Korea’s nuclear program. According to multiple intelligence sources...