North Korea’s Kim has faith in Trump, frustrated at skeptics

The Columbian ^ | September 6, 2018 | The Associated Press

[2ndDivisionVet]

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un still has faith in U.S. President Donald Trump’s commitment to ending their nations’ hostile relations, but he’s frustrated by questions about his willingness to denuclearize and wants his “goodwill measures” to be met in kind, South Korean officials said Thursday.

The trove of comments from Kim, including his commitment to a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and to the suspension of all future long-range missile tests, were relayed by top South Korean security officials returning from meeting him in Pyongyang as well as by the North’s propaganda specialists.

Even in their indirect form, each statement will be parsed for clues about Kim’s mindset as North Korea and the U.S. move forward with efforts to resolve a nuclear standoff that just a year ago many feared could lead to war. Some of his reported comments were reiterations of past stances, but there will be sharp interest in whether they push negotiators back to diplomacy after recriminations that followed Kim and Trump’s June summit.

Since then, neither side has seemed willing to make a substantive move, leading to skepticism over Trump’s claims that Kim will really dismantle his nuclear weapons program. Recent satellite photos have indicated Kim’s weapons factories were still operating to produce fissile materials to make nuclear weapons....

[dfwgator]

He’s so ronery.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: he’s frustrated by questions about his willingness to denuclearize and wants his “goodwill measures” to be met in kind, South Korean officials said Thursday.

That is such a general statement that it’s difficult to make head or tail out of it.

What does “met in kind” mean to him?

Sanctions be totally taken away?

Withdrawal of American forces in the South and in Japan?

We have already cancelled the scheduled war games as a goodwill gesture... what else does he want?

[EagleUSA]

OK Kim, your move....

[granada]

Kim would change his mind if he reads the NYT op-ed.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Communists know propaganda when they see it.

[JoSixChip]

Since then, neither side has seemed willing to make a substantive move

Does he mean like releasing hostages, returning the remains of fallen American soldiers or stopping all missile tests?

[granada]

Communists know propaganda when they see it.
/
/
Lol. Brilliant.

[Gay State Conservative]

North Korea wants a peace treaty that officially ends the Korean War.While it's easy to understand NK making unreasonably demands for that treaty (US forces leaving Korea...reparations for North Korea,etc) I can also imagine a treaty that wasn't unreasonable.

Maybe the next focus of this process should be the signing of a basic treaty.

[arthurus]

Savage and many others think that Trump was “rolled” by Kim. I don’t think so. It isn’t over yet. We apparently till have people on the ground in Norkea and this is certainly something that could not be settled in an afternoon. Trump doesn’t get snookered. The economic conflict with China is the main show. Norkea is a sideshow and dependent on the outcome with China. Kim is very much a Chinese puppet and doesn’t go to the bathroom without Chinese approval. We will know that Kim has acted independent of China when he suddenly turns up dead or disappears and a general or a minister has taken command.

[shelterguy]

“”””””””’What does “met in kind” mean to him?”””””””””

In the past it has meant billions of dollars in unmarked bills with a card saying...We apologize for hurting your feelings and stuff. please don’t bomb us. Ok?? ...........

[granada]

Kim’s grandfather established himself by purging pro-China, pro-USSR factions,
I think Kim knows how to act independented of China.

[arthurus]

His progeny didn’t maintain the independence. How could they?
China was not nearly so strong in KIS’s day.

[AmericanInTokyo]

1) He wants to do precisely what you suggested he wants of the USA, in your post.

2) He wants that to be done at the same time he wants to maintain his nuclear arsenal, or portions of it, with a capability to restart or reinvigorate it at any time.

The Peace Treaty, without any kind of comprehensive/confirmed verifiable irreversible denuclearization would be the Main Mission of Pyongyang. It would be suicidal to agree and compromise to that extent. But there have been indications that this is the next stage of the play.

[Poison Pill]

Hell of a foreign policy we have. Snuggling up to the North Koreans and the Taliban and bashing our best ally, Canada, over the head.