President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hold a signing ceremony at the conclusion of their summit at the Capella Hotel on the resort island of Sentosa, Singapore on June 12, 2018.Jonathan Ernst / Reuters file

WASHINGTON — China has steadily loosened restrictions on trade with North Korea in recent months, undercutting President Donald Trump’s effort to exert economic pressure on Kim Jong Un’s regime, former U.S. officials and independent experts told NBC News.

From coal shipments to revived construction projects to planes ferrying Chinese tourists to Pyongyang, China has reopened the door to both legal and illegal trade with the North, throwing the North Korean government a vital lifeline while derailing U.S. diplomacy. North Korea depends almost entirely on its larger neighbor to keep its economy afloat.

The increase in trade can be traced back to March, when the White House stunned Beijing by announcing plans for Trump to hold an unprecedented meeting with the North Korean dictator. Fearing a loss of influence with its often recalcitrant ally, China invited Kim to three successive summits in China, in March, May and June.

While China rolled out the red carpet for Kim, Beijing’s enforcement of U.N. sanctions began to soften and its limits on legal commerce also eased, according to regional analysts who track cross-border trade, foreign diplomats and former U.S. officials. As a result, the White House’s bid to impose “maximum pressure” on North Korea, in hopes of pushing the regime to abandon its nuclear and missile program, has been dealt a severe blow.

“The Trump administration’s much vaunted maximum pressure is now at best minimal pressure,” said Daniel Russel, a former senior State Department official who oversaw China policy. “And that means a huge loss of leverage.”

Trump’s rush to meet with Kim — before U.S. and North Korean officials had time to hammer out a clear agenda or commitments from Pyongyang — doomed a relatively united international front against the North that had been painstakingly assembled, Russel and other former officials said.

Now it could be almost impossible to reconstitute the pressure campaign. Apart from China’s reluctance, South Korea’s progressive Prime Minister Moon Jae-in is openly promoting economic engagement with the North and does not share Washington’s preference for strangling the regime’s trade prospects.

The shift is evident at the Chinese port of Longkou, where North Korean cargo ships have been spotted pulling into coal docks, according to data obtained by NBC News from Windward, a firm that uses commercial satellites and other data to track maritime traffic. At least 29 North Korean cargo vessels visited the coal docks in May and June. Prior to that no North Korean ships had paid a visit to the port since January.

Traffic has picked up on the border bridge to the Chinese city of Dandong, a main artery for North Korea. Small trucks carrying coal have been photographed moving across the border bridge, according to NK Pro, a specialist website that focuses exclusively on North Korea.

Coal is a crucial source of revenue for Pyongyang and U.N. sanctions bar North Korea from shipping coal to China or elsewhere.

There are other signs of an economic thaw.

Gasoline prices in North Korea, which had soared as China squeezed fuel supplies last year, have steadily dropped since March. The Trump administration has blasted North Korea for skirting sanctions by obtaining oil at sea, conducting at least 89 ship-to-ship transfers of fuel.

The unofficial exchange rate for the euro in North Korea also shot up in the winter of this year as sanctions began to bite, but the rate came back down by June and July, NK Pro reported. The rate rose to 10,000 North Korean won to one euro in February, and has now returned to about 8,000:1.

North Korea also appears to be defying U.N. sanctions adopted in December 2017 that prohibit it from selling fishing rights in its waters. Starting in May, maritime data has shown an increase in foreign fishing vessels in North Korea’s exclusive economic zone, Lucas Kuo, an analyst at C4ADS, told NBC News.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Workers’ Party of Korea headquarters in Pyongyang on May 8, 2018.KCNA via KNS / Getty Images file

Construction activity has resumed in the North Korean capital, analysts said, and workers and heavy machinery have returned to a joint bridge project between the Chinese town of Tumen and the North Korean town of Namyang. The site had gone quiet last year and into the first quarter of 2018, experts at NK Pro reported.

Chinese tourism, which is not banned under U.N. sanctions and has provided a valuable source of hard currency, had dramatically dropped off as Beijing scaled back passenger flights and suspended most travel tours. But tourism has surged since June, after Air China resumed full service to North Korea and Beijing authorities lifted restrictions on travel tours, experts said.

Passenger flights to the capital are regularly sold out and expanded train service must be booked at least two weeks in advance due to the high demand. The rise in visitors has caused delays for some tour groups at Chinese customs offices at the border and the North Koreans have struggled to mobilize tour guides to accommodate the thousands of tourists coming by train and plane, according to NK Pro and other analysts. North Korea has even opened a tourist office in Taiwan.

“Those tourists are a serious money-maker for North Korea, and also an important political signal,” said Russel, now at the Asia Society Policy Institute. “It’s a signal to anybody who has business interests with North Korea that there’s plenty of room to maneuver now.”

Trump, who once boasted his talks with Kim had eliminated the regime’s nuclear threat, complained last month that China was “not helping” with North Korea. His secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and U.N. ambassador, Nikki Haley, have called on other countries to crack down on sanctions-busting, citing smuggling by sea and overland borders.

“When sanctions are not enforced, the prospects for successful denuclearization are diminished,” Pompeo said in July.

But the administration has mostly steered clear of publicly condemning China, defended its diplomacy with Pyongyang as successful so far and played down the idea that the sanctions regime is unraveling.

“We have not seen significant changes in the strength with which the international community is enforcing sanctions on North Korea,” a U.S. intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told NBC News. “Trade may go up, but the enforcement of sanctions, that remains.”

The Trump administration declined to comment on the record.

Dismayed by North Korea’s barrage of missile and nuclear tests, China last year backed the U.S.-led effort to impose “maximum pressure” on Pyongyang. The Chinese supported the sanctions partly out of concern over Trump’s threats of military action, the so-called “bloody nose” option. But those threats have receded amid a potential detente with Pyongyang. Meanwhile, the U.S. president has since launched a trade war with China, with both governments imposing tariffs on a vast array of goods amid threats to impose more.

Despite Trump’s olive branch to Kim, North Korea has taken no concrete steps to fulfill Washington’s demands to provide a full inventory of its nuclear arsenal, permit a verification of its capabilities or agree to a timeline to dismantle its weapons. But Kim secured the suspension of a U.S. military exercise, the relaxation of sanctions enforcement by China, reduced the likelihood of a preemptive U.S. military strike and forged a dialogue with South Korea for possible economic cooperation.

Victor Cha, a former senior diplomat who was at the negotiating table more than a decade ago the last time the United States tried to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, said Kim has come out ahead after his summit with Trump.

The North Koreans “are getting everything they want right now,” said Cha, currently a professor at Georgetown University.

The regime has bought itself more time to advance its missile and nuclear technology, he said. “The status quo is great for them.”

The post China eases economic pressure on North Korea, undercutting the Trump admin first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Ambassador Shin Bongkil with Senior Editor Shubhajit Roy in The Indian Express newsroom. (Express Photo by Amit Mehra)

On June 12, American President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un met in Singapore, in the first summit-level meeting between the leaders of the two nations. While North Korea agreed to complete denuclearisation, Trump returned the favour by stalling all military exercises with South Korea. A career diplomat and an expert on North Korea, South Korean Ambassador Shin Bongkil is optimistic about the developments in the Korean Peninsula. He has also served as a diplomat in China (twice for a total duration of seven years), a country which is playing a pivotal role in shaping North Korea’s relationship with the world

SHUBHAJIT ROY: The meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un was historic. Why do you think North Korea has come to the negotiating table now?

There are a couple of different elements here, one of which is the sincere and genuine effort of South Korean President Moon Jae-in. North Korea knows President Moon’s background and beliefs. So they believed in the sincerity of my President and the new government in Seoul. The second element is that this time the North Korean Leader realized that his country cannot go on in this manner. With such severe sanctions from around the world, particularly with the participation of China, they realized that it was not possible to escape. Also the young Leader, who has experienced the outside world — he spent a couple of years in Switzerland — personally believes that North Korea cannot survive as it is. They need economic development, and that they need to bring prosperity to their own people. The third element is that North Korea has achieved a certain level of nuclear deterrence. Until now, they didn’t have such a deterrence and did not want to come to the table. This time, however, they themselves declared that they have achieved nuclear capability and so they have certain leverage in the game. I’m cautiously optimistic. This time they directly wanted to talk to the US. After the Singapore Summit meeting, in front of the entire world media, they promised denuclearisation.

SHUBHAJIT ROY: The statement released after the Summit talks of complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. However, experts point to lack of phrases such as ‘verifiable’ and ‘irreversible denuclearisation’ in the statement. How do you counter such suspicion regarding North Korea’s intent?

I think the more important thing is trust between the parties. I personally believe that commitment is crucial here. North Korea in talks with President Moon as well as President Trump agreed to complete denuclearisation.

SHUBHAJIT ROY: Post the meeting, President Trump said that he would stop the war games. How do you see that playing out with respect to the South Korean foreign policy?

Yes, the South Korea-US annual military exercise has been suspended. But I think if there is no threat, there is no need for that kind of military exercise. To have an environment for serious negotiation in the future the two sides are showing some kind of sincerity. I think many South Koreans accept that. This type of exercise can be reconvened if either party breaches its promise.

SHUBHAJIT ROY: What do you think of China’s role in this entire exercise? The North Korean Leader recently visited Beijing.

China has an important role to play in ensuring permanent peace in the Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia. Historically, China has been an important player in issues relating to the Korean Peninsula. Even though it established diplomatic relations with North Korea, their bilateral relations were not so good, particularly following the Chinese sanctions. North Koreans were angry with China’s approach. But North Korea needs China. In the negotiations, North Korea needs a guardian. China can play a guardian’s role. I’m more positive of China’s role in this process.

RAKESH SINHA: Will the Summit signal a shift in the power balance in East Asia?

No, I don’t think so. The major stakeholders in Northeast Asia believe in the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. For the past two decades South Korea has had very good diplomatic relations with China, and the US and Japan are our allies. North Korea can have a formal relationship with the US and Japan, South Korea’s new government does not oppose it. We are ready to co-exist with North Korea. Earlier, our relationship with the North Korean regime had collapsed. We had a very hard stance towards each other. But if everything goes well, I think the relations will be normal again.

RAVISH TIWARI: Previous commitments by North Korea have failed to improve the situation. Why should the world be optimistic this time?

This time there is political will on all sides — the US, South Korea and North Korea. Previously there were agreements as well, but I don’t believe there was real commitment. But this time, President Moon, President Trump and Kim Jong-un are very serious.

RAVISH TIWARI: The wall between West and East Germany crumbled. What is it that separates North and South Korea today?

When the Berlin Wall crumbled, there was already a long history of exchanges between the two sides. The people on both sides knew each other. The Korean situation is different. There has been a divide for over half-a-century. There were no exchanges between the people. North Korea was a very closed society until now.

We hope for gradual integration between the two sides. Peace is first, unification is next. We have witnessed some changes in North Korea. The market is influencing the situation a lot. We view this change positively. We would like to help them move towards more marketisation. Not regime collapse, but the character of the regime should be different — more democratic in nature. This can lead to political integration in the future. That is South Korea’s present strategy.

“The two countries have agreed that at future sports events the North and the South will play under one flag”, said the South Korea Ambassador. (Express Photo By Amit Mehra)

ANIL SASI: Both North and South Korea have removed loudspeakers used to broadcast competing propaganda messages across their shared border. Is there any significance of the move beyond symbolism?

I think it is important. North Korea is a very closed society, they do not know much about the real South Korea, and they were hearing these (propaganda) messages. Also, the North Korean leadership was very sensitive about it and they continuously asked to stop it, and so we did it. We hope it can be a conciliatory move and improve relations between the countries.

MIHIR VASAVDA: How do you see the relationship between the two countries on a more personal, people-to-people level?

The North Korean regime made a political statement that Korea is one and should be unified. They blame US imperialism for the division. And yes, most people in the North want unification. The situation in the South, however, is a little different. If we ask the younger people, those in their 20s or 30s, they are okay without unification. Why? They believe that the North is creating problems and that even though we support them economically, they don’t feel any gratitude towards us. (The younger generation feels that North Korea) develops weapons of mass destruction and continuously threatens the South. So there has been this aspect to the public opinion in the South. These days, however, it is changing and the Summit meetings have contributed positively to the change.

MIHIR VASAVDA: At the Winter Olympics we saw both Koreas march under one flag and it is likely to happen at the Asian Games as well. Is there a larger context to it? Will the entire contingent play together under one flag?

Yes, the two countries have agreed that at future sports events the North and the South will play under one flag, and will also cheer the other team. There have been military-level meetings, other high-level meetings between the two countries… So, this will go on as well. The North Korean Leader has already declared on television and radio that the two nations are reconciling. The Summit meeting between Kim Jong-un and Trump was broadcast on North Korean television. It’s quiet a big change.

“Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un don’t want to lose momentum. We should not lose this momentum and if we hasten this process, it has merit.” (Express Photo By Amit Mehra)

SHUBHAJIT ROY: What do you make of India’s role in the region? India went along with the sanctions against North Korea and was seen as more favourable towards the South. A month ago, the MoS, External Affairs, visited North Korea, after a gap of almost 20 years.

I look at the developments positively. I think that India, despite being under some kind of pressure from Western countries, maintained its diplomatic mission in Pyongyang. It gave India a kind of leverage to influence North Korea. It was a good thing, we don’t oppose it. India, as a leading global power, has great influence in world politics, it has a voice in the Korean Peninsula issue… India is playing a really constructive role. As far as I know, when North Korea was suffering from famine, India provided food. So it has leverage and some engagement in issues of the Korean Peninsula. It will be helpful in the future.

ABANTIKA GHOSH: Like India is doing with yoga, do you plan to push K-Pop to project your soft power to the world?

Recently, I saw two very interesting photographs in the newspaper. One picture showed people in Paris practising yoga. In another picture I saw people in Seoul practising yoga in the city’s central downtown. So Koreans also have interest in yoga. For a long time, Koreans have been curious about India because in ancient times, almost 2,000 years ago, a Korean king married a princess from Ayodhya. It is mentioned in Korean history books. Some say it’s a myth, others think of it as a fact. Now scholars are trying to find the truth.

I visited Ayodhya and also met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He was enthusiastic about building a Queen Huh Memorial Park. We have been given a big plot inside Ayodhya city to build the park. In the future, we will invite Korean tourists there.

SHUBHAJIT ROY: When Prime Minister Modi went to Seoul in 2015, the relationship was upgraded to ‘special strategic partnership’. What have been the major developments since then?

“The major stakeholders in Northeast Asia believe in the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, said the South Korea Ambassador. (Express Photo By Amit Mehra)

Terms such as ‘special strategic partnership’ are not important. The important thing is that this new administration, compared to previous administrations, emphasises on having a relationship with India. In the past couple of decades, we have been very heavily dependent on our relationship with China, the United States, Japan and Russia — four major powers. For example, our annual trade volume with China is almost USD 250 billion. It is a big amount. We are dependent on China for investments. But China has become quite competitive now, it is a big economic power, and we no more have the kind of relationship that we had earlier (in terms of trade). So we need a new economic partnership and India is growing — economically and politically. There is almost 7 per cent growth rate. India has more potential and the growth rate will jump to double-digits soon. Twenty years ago, China’s growth rate was 12-13 per cent, and India has the potential to reach that kind of growth rate, particularly under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. He is all about development and the diplomatic community sees it very positively.

I hear that PM Modi’s government has pledged that in the near future they will take the economy’s size to USD 5 trillion. That will make India one of the top three economies in the world. I think it’s not just propaganda, it’s possible. Everyone looks at India as a big potential market, an investment destination — you can make products here and export it to other countries. I recently visited Hyundai Motors in Chennai. It is modern and very impressive, better than I thought. Hyundai is competing very strongly with other top car makers. I hear they are the top exporters, much bigger than Maruti Suzuki, Toyota etc. Also, Samsung is expanding its factory here. They are soon going to establish a second factory. Previously, Samsung had its biggest factory in Vietnam but soon the Noida factory will be the largest in the world, smartphone-wise. Samsung also has a big R&D office in Bengaluru. Less than 20 Koreans work there. The rest are Indians, even the top two — the CEO and his deputy. I was surprised. Why say it is a South Korean company? It is an Indian company.

Korean companies are showing a lot of interest in the Indian market and Indian conglomerates are also showing interest in business relationships with Korea, particularly Anil Ambani’s Reliance. Under ‘Make in India’, they will undertake joint ventures and build companies here. Reliance already has an office in Seoul. They are interested in areas such as defence, solar energy, engineering and also finance. So the economic relations are expected to expand in the future.

RAVISH TIWARI: You have spent a lot of time in Beijing. What do you make of China’s global ambitions and does it worry South Korea?

I have stayed in Beijing for almost seven years as a diplomat and I have many friends there. They have a kind of communist system, sometimes authoritarian… They are hardworking people with discipline. All of these have helped drive China’s success story. But there is also a complaint in the society about the big gap between the rich and poor. So there is also a negative side to the rapid economic development.

I think China and India are two countries that should get along well. You are the biggest, most influential, growing powers in the world. It is important that you get along well with China. China can never disregard you. You are such a big power, with big population and democracy. Now everybody respects India.

SHUBHAJIT ROY: Would South Korea like to join the India-US-Japan-Australia Indo-Pacific Quadrilateral in the future?

I think yes… Every country has the right to align themselves with other countries. As far as I know, the relationship of these four countries is not military oriented or aimed at opposing other parties. The Indo-Pacific region is an important area. It should be peaceful. It (the Quadrilateral) reflects the growing power of India in world politics.

AMITAVA CHAKRABORTY: The Singapore Summit is over and the leaders are back home. History has taught us that haste makes waste. How do you see things moving forward in North Korea now?

I think sometimes haste leads to meaningful results as well. Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un don’t want to lose momentum. We should not lose this momentum and if we hasten this process, it has merit. My President will visit North Korea in the coming fall.

Of course there will be problems, but the vision of top leaders can bring about a change. We need a political winner. I don’t think this is too hasty. My President is a very patient man. He shares that quality with PM Modi. He has a firm belief in development and is also a visionary. He has the vision to bring peace and stability in the region. Modi is very bold and my President is very bold. They are also very clean politicians.

Muskan Sethi: How important do you think is people-to-people contact, including student exchanges, cultural programmes etc for India and South Korea relations?

I think exchanges between top leaders actually help to promote people-to-people contact. When my President visited India, it was extensively covered by the Korean media and this time, I hear, that more than 200 media people from Korea will accompany him. I think it will be an extensive coverage… Many Koreans have already showed interest in India…We are talking of visa-on-arrival to facilitate tourists.

India has done a lot of positive things like Indian high school textbooks for first time introduced Korean history… Formally there was only China and Japan in East Asia. Now they have introduced Korea. This is an important development… and also, Indira Gandhi National Open University is starting Korean language course from this July.

Avishek G Dastidar: Since we were talking about soft power and people-to-people contact, sports plays an important role in these areas. The football World Cup is underway. How do you view chances of the Korean team winning the football World Cup this time? What is the reason that since 2002 the team hasn’t done very well in the competition?

People’s interests are continuously moving. In 2002, it was sports. When certain countries develop, then people’s interest also diversifies. At that time, more Koreans were focused on soccer…, but now it has changed… Maybe we move on to cricket. We have a cricket national team and I tried to invite it to Delhi and have a competition with your junior team. I pushed it to the Lieutenant Governor and he said that we will invite the team… and have a competition with a team comprising of players selected from the underprivileged section. Sachin (Tendulkar) is a famous cricketer and he could be invited to coach the home team. And they may play in New Delhi’s stadium. Then I asked LG if people will come to see it? They said people will come and we are confident. They may not come to see the Korean national team but they may want to see Sachin. We will have a meagre entrance fee and the money collected will be donated for the underprivileged. I spoke to the Indian foreign ministry to organize it when my President visits India, and Prime Minister Modi and President Moon could attend the match together. Wouldn’t it be a nice picture? But the foreign ministry said it’s a very interesting and nice idea, but too risky… they were not so passionate about it. So I gave it up. We can still bring the Korean national cricket team here. Maybe to compete with high school teams.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/south-korea-shin-bongkil-north-korea-korean-peninsula-kim-jong-un-china-donald-trump-5230656/

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President Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan at the White House on June 7. Japan could be left vulnerable depending on the substance of Mr. Trump’s meeting with North Korea about denuclearization.CreditAndrew Harnik/Associated Press

TOKYO — Even if Tuesday’s meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s leader, goes well, Japan stands to lose from it in some ways. Despite a last-ditch effort last week by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan to play adviser to Mr. Trump before the talks, the American president still seems rather unconcerned by Japan’s long-term strategic interests — actually, its imperatives.

As Mr. Abe put it last week, “first and foremost, we need to seek advancement for the abduction, nuclear and missile programs.” He meant that Japan’s priorities are to obtain the return of all Japanese citizens that North Korea abducted years ago, North Korea’s actual denuclearization and an end to its efforts to develop any missiles, and not just the kind that can reach the United States.

Although the abductee issue is an emotional and sensitive matter in Japan, the government finds itself dependent on third parties to discuss it on its behalf, much like President Moon Jae-in of South Korea reportedly did with Mr. Kim in late April. On this question, and other major matters to do with North Korea, Japan has no choice for now but to try to influence negotiations from the sidelines, or else it risks being left behind altogether.

In the event that Mr. Trump does take up the abduction issue with Mr. Kim for Japan, as he has pledged to do, the North Korean government probably would use the hostages as leverage and release them only for specific gains, as in 2002 when it allowed five Japanese captives to return home in exchange for the promise of economic assistance.

Then there is denuclearization, which means different things to different parties. For Japan, the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of North Korea’s nuclear program is essential, as James Mattis, the United States secretary of defense, has said. Verification, the most important prong of this approach, may also be the most difficult to satisfy: It would require North Korea to truthfully reveal the location of all its nuclear sites and fissile material — a very unlikely prospect.

Mr. Kim should be expected to exploit any ambiguity in order to hedge or dither while trying to secure relief from international sanctions. He is playing a long game and has time on his side. Election cycles in the United States, South Korea and Japan are short, but Mr. Kim is unelected and is only in his 30s.

Even if he vows to make what seem like significant commitments toward denuclearization, he will already have accomplished one of his main goals: Just by dint of these talks being held he will have succeeded in getting the United States to, in effect, treat North Korea as a de facto nuclear weapons state.

Denuclearizing North Korea can only be a phased process, for technical reasons, and it could take up to 15 years according to the nuclear expert Siegfried Hecker. Mr. Kim might slow it down further by first proposing, as he has begun to do, a peace treaty formally ending the Korean War to replace the 1953 armistice currently in effect. This, however, would be a dirty peace, especially for Japan, which in the meantime would remain as exposed as ever to a North Korean attack.

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Washington (CNN)A US delegation arrived in North Korea on Sunday for preparatory talks ahead of a potential meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump said on Sunday.

“Our United States team has arrived in North Korea to make arrangements for the Summit between Kim Jong Un and myself,” Trump tweeted. “I truly believe North Korea has brilliant potential and will be a great economic and financial Nation one day. Kim Jong Un agrees with me on this. It will happen!”

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The post Donald Trump: ‘I have decided to terminate the planned summit in Singapore’ first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The move to pull out of the summit, slated to take place in Singapore on June 12, came after threats from Kim to call off the talks. In a letter to Kim on Thursday, Trump said the world, and North Korea, had lost a “great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity.”

“Based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting,” Trump wrote in a letter to Kim on Thursday. “Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place.”

North Korea has for days questioned whether the summit would go forward.

On Thursday, Vice Minister of the North Korean Foreign Ministry, Choe Son Hui, also said that whether the U.S. “will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States,” according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.

The official also insulted Vice President Pence after he said North Korea had asked for the meeting.

“As a person involved in the U.S. affairs, I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the U.S. vice president,” Choe reportedly said.

Officials, though, told Fox News that it was the threat of nuclear war — not the insult to Pence — that led to the summit pullout.

“You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used,” Trump wrote to Kim. “If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write. The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth.”

Trump added, “This missed opportunity is truly a sad moment in history.”

The president also expressed his gratitude for the release of the three American hostages from North Korea earlier this month.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had traveled to North Korea on a surprise diplomatic mission to retrieve the American prisoners, and even met with Kim in preparation for the summit.

“I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families,” Trump wrote. “That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated.”

AMERICAN PRISONERS HELD IN NORTH KOREA ON THEIR WAY HOME AFTER POMPEO VISIT, TRUMP SAYS

He added, “Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you.”

Pompeo, who had met with Kim in North Korea, testified on Capitol Hill Thursday before the Senate Foreign Intelligence Committe, to discuss the State Department’s budget as the news from the White House broke.

“I can add, over past many days, that we have endeavored to do what Kim and I agreed, put teams togehter in advance of the summit, and we received no response from North Korea,” Pompeo said. “The American team was rocking, were ready, and fully prepared for this meeting.”

Pompeo added that there was “little doubt” that Kim understood “the scope” of what the U.S. was requesting.

“We made this abundantly clear through multiple channels,” Pompeo said. “I regreat statements North Korea made over the past few days, and that we haven’t been able to conduct prep necessary for a successful summit.”

The anticipated summit was set to come on the heels of a “historic meeting” between North and South Korea last month, as leaders from the two nations pledged to clear the peninsula of nuclear weapons.

Moon and Kim announced they would work to achieve a “nuclear-free Korean Peninsula,” and also expressed hope to officially end the 1950-53 Korean War by the end of the year, though it is not clear at this point the steps the leaders will take to achieve denuclearization.

“KOREAN WAR TO END! The United States, and all of its GREAT people, should be very proud of what is now taking place in Korea!” Trump tweeted last month.

The leaders had agreed that by May 1, the loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts that had been blaring from each side of the heavily armed border would be suspended. They agreed to also dismantle broadcasting equipment and stop flying propaganda leaflets across their border.

TRUMP TOUTS ‘HISTORIC’ KOREAN SUMMIT: ‘KOREAN WAR TO END’ 

Kim also promised Moon that he “won’t interrupt” his “early morning sleep anymore,” referring to missile tests, South Korea said.

But Kim’s tune changed last week, canceling a high-level summit with Moon, following U.S.-South Korean military exercises, which the state-run Korean media outlet suggested were a rehearsal for a potential invasion of the North.

During Trump’s meeting on Monday with Moon in the Oval Office, the South Korean president expressed confidence in the summit, and in “the future of Kim.”

But Trump said “maybe it will happen later.”

“In the end, it will work out. I can’t tell you how or why, but in the end it will work out,” Trump said. “It always does.”

Fox News’ John Roberts and Adam Shaw contributed to this report. 

The post White House pulls out of summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

–President Donald Trump has emerged from a year on the brink of nuclear war with North Korea with a prospective peace deal.
–China and Japan appear to be struggling to keep up with the progress and promises being made in the Koreas.
–But North Korea’s progress has been all talk up to now, and nobody can honestly say whether they’re sincere.
–Having announced an end to testing nuclear devices and ballistic missiles, North Korea can now pursue a different kind of relationship with the outside world.
–If it happens on Trump’s watch, it will likely count as a big win.

President Donald Trump has emerged from a year on the brink of nuclear war with North Korea with a prospective, unprecedented meeting with its leader Kim Jong Un on the books, renewed hopes of peace, and Nobel Peace Prize buzz.

Put bluntly, the reversal in North Korea’s attitude towards the US represents one of the most stunning turns in politics since Trump scored a tremendous upset to win the 2016 presidential election.

So far, North Korea has repeatedly promised it will denuclearize, and has invited the US and South Korea to observe part of that promise. North Korea hasn’t asked for the US to do anything in exchange besides agree not to invade them.

When a Trump administration official called for US detainees in North Korea to be released as a sign of Pyongyang’s sincerity, days later reports emerged that Kim had allowed just that.

All of these developments are so far only talk and plans. But they represent big wins for Trump’s stated aims: peace and denuclearization.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has credited Trump with creating the atmosphere necessary for an inter-Korean summit. North Korea expert John Delury wrote at 38 North that this has “put diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula off to a very good start.”

• Heads are starting to spin

  

  A snap meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kim just weeks after Trump accepted an offer to meet with Kim indicates that China may be struggling to insert itself into a dialogue that seems to put US concerns first.

  China wants the US military out of South Korea. The presence of nearly 30,000 US troops near its borders troubles China, which feels the US is trying to contain it.

  The US’s missile defenses in South Korea also have radars that can see deep into Chinese territory, and which China fears could hobble it in a nuclear war with the US, thereby making it an existential threat.

  But neither North Korea nor South Korea has pushed for the US to leave the Korean Peninsula. In fact, if North Korea seriously goes through with verifiable denuclearization, a US or UN military presence could creep even closer to China above the 38th parallel.

  Japan is also scrambling to set up a meeting with Kim, though thus far it has been denied. Instead, Japan will meet with South Korea and China to lobby them to insert their interests into the negotiations as the Koreas speed on without them.

  A word of warning

  

  Trump’s North Korea policy is going pretty well, so far. But North Korea has made many of the exact promises it has made in previous negotiations, only to back out again and double down on its nuclear ambitions.

  All of the progress made so far on peace in the Koreas has been talk, occurring at a rapid pace. There’s laughter, hand-holding, and promises by the plenty, but not a single screw loosened on a weapon of mass destruction.

  Trump sailed through the niceties, but has not yet hit the concrete work of denuclearizing, which experts nearly unanimously think will be very difficult.

  In fact, Jeffrey Lewis, the go-to expert on North Korea for CNN, The New York Times, and often Business Insider, recently wrote an article in Foreign Policy called “Optimism About Korea Will Kill Us All.”

  In the piece he argues that expectations have been set too high for the Trump-Kim summit, and could eventually lead to disappointment, and then a war in which we all die.

  But both Moon and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo continue to affirm Kim’s commitment to denuclearization, likely knowing fully the risks that shattered expectations would bring.

  Reason for hope, not hype

  

  North Korea recently announced that it’s done with its nuclear weapons program. After successfully testing an intercontinental-range ballistic missile and what experts describe as a thermonuclear bomb, it has called for an end to testing.

  Nuclear and ICBM tests prompted many of the recent, heavy sanctions placed on North Korea. The tests served as a major irritant in the US, South Korea, Japan, and even China’s relationship with Pyongyang.

  Now that North Korea has credibly built nuclear missiles that it and much of the world can confidently say will work enough of the time to matter, it doesn’t have to do tests any more.

  Having ditched its most annoying habit — nuclear detonations and missile launches — North Korea can now pursue a different relationship with its neighbors and former foes, who will no longer have to respond to shocking media stories about the scary, defiant launches.

  Even if North Korea only stops testing and maintains some residual, secretive nuclear capability while talking to and pursuing peace with the outside world, that’s a big win for Trump’s presidency, as he would have secured a unique and positive result from his unorthodox approach to the conflict.

  North Korea’s peace push and promises have by no means eliminated the possibility of nuclear war on the peninsula, but then again, nothing can ever guarantee that war in Korea definitely won’t happen.

  But under Trump’s watch, Pyongyang has moved to delay war, and in a world where war is always possible, delays might be as good as it gets.

  This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Business Insider.

  ---

  Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-winning-heads-spinning-north-korea-talks-off-to-running-start-2018-5

  [Disclaimer]

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South Korea will demand the North freezes its missile programme, disclose its nuclear capacity and allow in nuclear inspectors in exchange for economic and political concessions from Seoul, a senior South Korean national security adviser said ahead of a summit between the two nations’ leaders.

Moon Chung-in, a special adviser on foreign affairs and national security in Seoul, said he expected significant outcomes from the talks between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on April 27, although it was highly unlikely US troops in the South would be withdrawn as part of any deal.

President Moon may also submit a formal declaration of peace with North Korea at the UN General Assembly in September if the two leaders can strike an agreement, the adviser told the South China Morning Post.

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U.S. President Donald Trump’s new national security adviser held talks Thursday with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, as the U.S. gears up for an unprecedented summit with North Korea.

Bolton met with Chung Eui-yong, the South Korean official who last month conveyed Kim’s offer to Trump to talk about “denuclearization” and halt nuclear and missile tests. Chung was then given the unexpected duty of announcing to journalists in the White House driveway Trump’s surprise agreement to hold a meeting.

South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, is due to hold his own summit with Kim on April 27.

Bolton also held talks with Japan’s Shotaro Yachi, whose prime minister, Shinzo Abe, will meet Trump at his Florida resort on Tuesday.

Abe has fostered personal ties with Trump and has been a strong supporter of the U.S.-led campaign of sanctions against North Korea to compel it to negotiate on its nuclear program after a long hiatus in talks.

During his second trip to Mar-a-Lago, Abe will be seeking reassurance that Japan’s interests won’t be overlooked at the Trump-Kim summit.

The Japanese leader has said he’s worried that North Korean security threats to Japan, including short- and medium-range missiles, may not be discussed, and that Trump will focus on intercontinental ballistic missiles that threaten America.

The differing perspectives of the allies, which both host U.S. forces but have sharp historic differences, could complicate Washington’s management of policy on North Korea.

A spokesman at the National Security Council said Chung and Yachi are the first national security advisers to meet with Bolton since he took office this week.

Trump on Thursday praised the role of China, currently in a standoff on trade tariffs with the U.S., in pressuring North Korea. He predicted his meeting with Kim would be “terrific.”

“I think we’re going with a lot of respect, and we’ll see what happens. So we’ve come a long way. But China has really helped us at the border, and we appreciate it,” Trump said at a meeting with governors and senators on trade and agriculture at the White House.

Source: https://japantoday.com/category/politics/bolton-meets-with-skorea-japan-national-security-advisers

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“The North Koreans are pushing to have the meeting in their capital, Pyongyang,” but it is “unclear whether the White House would be willing to hold talks there,” CNN said.

Ulan Bator, the Mongolian capital, has been also floated as a possible location of the summit, it said.

According to CNN, US and North Korean intelligence officials “have spoken several times and have even met in a third country” to discuss the venue of the first-ever summit between the United States and North Korea.

The post North Korea wants summit with Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump in capital Pyongyang, CNN reports first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.