Trump cancels Pompeo trip to North Korea, cites lack of 'sufficient progress' on denuclearizat

[Zippyjuan]

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/24/trump-cancels-pompeo-trip-to-north-korea-cites-lack-of-sufficient-progress-on-denuclearization.html

I thought Trump had that nuclear thing taken care of during his visit to North Korea. Take a picture, declare victory and go home. Don't worry about details. "People are going to be very impressed!" he said.


Trump declares an end to the North Korean nuclear threat

But today:

President Donald Trump on Friday announced on Twitter that he had asked his secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, to cancel a planned trip to North Korea.

The president cited a lack of progress on denuclearization talks, but also pointed a finger at China, which he accused of deliberately withholding cooperation on North Korea in order to gain an advantage in the escalating trade war between Washington and Beijing.

Evidence strongly suggests that North Korea has continued to develop its nuclear capabilities in recent months, despite a joint statement in June from Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un that they would work toward denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.

More at link.

Two tweets from the same day: Pompeo Going to Korea:

1033045280143355904

Pompeo Not Going to Korea:

1033045273361178624

[TheCount]

But we already pre-celebrated Trump's success on this. It can't just... unhappen!

[Swordsmyth]

A mere speed-bump.

[Zippyjuan]

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/25/trump-south-korea-anxiety-795715


Trump anxiety spreads through South Korea

Many South Koreans worry that the U.S. president — though hailed for bringing Kim Jong Un to the table — lacks the patience for a true breakthrough with the North.

SEOUL — South Koreans are growing more anxious about President Donald Trump’s commitment to the North Korean nuclear deal, fearing he could simply walk away, having already declared victory back home.

The president has earned the respect of many people here for his unconventional diplomacy in meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, even among those who otherwise deride Trump as a “merchant” who lacks the “class” of his predecessor. But behind the surprising goodwill and relentlessly upbeat pronouncements from Seoul officials, there are creeping doubts, according to interviews this summer with current and former government advisers, a leading politician, foreign policy specialists, journalists and North Korean defectors.

Among the concerns are frustration that Trump has failed to secure a formal end to the Korean War while negotiating on nuclear disarmament; worries that the president is simply seeking a “trophy” for meeting with Kim and won’t be as engaged in the hard work to come; doubts about the “hubris” of the White House’s all-or-nothing approach to negotiating with Pyongyang, as opposed to the incremental process favored by many South Koreans; and dismay over why Trump would launch a trade war with China at a time when he needs Beijing’s help in keeping pressure on North Korea.

Most of those concerns relate, in some ways, to Trump’s personal characteristics — his unawareness of history, his short attention span — even as many South Koreans acknowledge that it was Trump’s very brashness that brought about the breakthrough in the first place.

“I’m concerned he may lose patience, and then just get out of this” said Dr. Jun Bong-Geun, a former policy adviser to South Korea’s minister of unification. “That could be possible, very possible.”

“They are repeating the same mistake” and failing to learn from past administrations, said Joo Seong-ha, a North Korean defector and journalist who writes the popular blog "Pyongyang Story Written in Seoul,” speaking through a translator.

The growing number of obstacles and miscommunications — Trump’s recent out-of-left-field tweet canceling his secretary of state’s diplomatic trip to North Korea is a representative example — have made South Koreans more worried that Trump lacks the stamina for the tough work ahead.

more at link.

[enhanced_deficit]

A mere speed-bump.

Yea, seems like bumpy road.


State-controlled newspaper accuses US of ‘hatching a criminal plot’ against North Korea

By Michael Burke - 08/26/18

A state-controlled newspaper in North Korea is accusing the United States of “hatching a criminal plot” and “double dealing” after the U.S. canceled a planned meeting between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean officials, Reuters reported.
The Rodong Sinmun newspaper said U.S. military units in Japan were attempting to infiltrate Pyongyang, according to the news service.
“Such acts prove that the U.S. is hatching a criminal plot to unleash a war against the DPRK and commit a crime which deserves merciless divine punishment in case the U.S. fails in the scenario of the DPRK’s unjust and brigandish denuclearisation first,” the paper reportedly said.

“We cannot but take a serious note of the double-dealing attitudes of the U.S. as it is busy staging secret drills involving man-killing special units while having a dialogue with a smile on its face,” it added.
The accusations come after President Trump on Friday said he asked Pompeo to put off a visit to North Korea. Trump said on Twitter that he didn’t believe the visit was appropriate because he feels “we are not making sufficient progress with respect to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

http://thehill.com/policy/international/403688-state-controlled-newspaper-accuses-us-of-hatching-a-criminal-plot



Relational

Will North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un win Nobel Peace Prize? (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?522565-Will-North-Korea-s-Supreme-Leader-Kim-Jong-Un-win-Nobel-Peace-Prize&)

[Swordsmyth]

Days after canceling a planned visit to North Korea by his top diplomat citing insufficient progress in denuclearization talks, U.S. President Donald Trump hailed his personal relationship North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday and said there was no reason to resume war games with South Korea.Trump's statement came a day after his defense secretary hinted that the drills, which North Korea denounces as rehearsals for invasion, could resume.
Trump tweeted a White House statement in which he once again questioned China's role in helping to resolve the crisis over North Korea's development of nuclear weapons that threaten the United States.
The statement said Trump believed North Korea was under "tremendous pressure" from China, but Beijing was also supplying Pyongyang with "considerable aid," including fuel, fertilizer and commodities.
"This is not helpful!" the statement said.
"Nonetheless, the President believes that his relationship with Kim Jong Un is a very good and warm one, and there is no reason at this time to be spending large amounts of money on joint U.S.-South Korea war games," it added.
"Besides, the President can instantly start the joint exercises again with South Korea, and Japan, if he so chooses. If he does, they will be far bigger than ever before."
The statement also said that the U.S. trade dispute with China and other differences "will be resolved in time by President Trump and China’s great President Xi Jinping. Their relationship and bond remain very strong."

More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-hails-kim-sees-no-resume-u-south-001044363.html

[r3volution 3.0]

https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01112/mission_accomplish_1112950c.jpg

The solution to the N. Korea problem is actually very complicated; it also has nothing whatsoever to do with nuclear weapons.

[Swordsmyth]

Kim Jong Un will meet the South's President Moon Jae-in at a summit in Pyongyang in September to discuss nuclear disarmament, Seoul said Thursday.

This would be the third meeting this year between the two leaders, who will discuss "practical measures to denuclearise" the flashpoint peninsula during the September 18-20 summit, South Korean National Security Advisor Chung Eui-yong told reporters.
The summit dates were finalised during Chung's Wednesday visit to Pyongyang, where he met Kim and handed over a personal letter from Moon.

The North Korean leader said he is willing to cooperate with both Seoul and Washington on denuclearisation, according to the envoy.

More at: https://www.afp.com/en/news/23/two-koreas-agree-hold-september-summit-pyongyang-seoul-doc-18w0eg4

[enhanced_deficit]

These things take time, such big deal making doesn't happen overnight no matter how skilled our leaders may be in the art of deal.


North Korea says it will not denuclearize until the US does (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?529479-North-Korea-says-it-will-not-denuclearize-until-the-US-does&)