Denuclearization

The Korea Times on Tuesday reported some consternation in Seoul over the mysterious disappearance of “denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula” from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) platform.

North Korea on Monday lashed out at South Korea, Japan, and even Pyongyang’s patron China for supporting the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula at a summit in Seoul.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations nuclear watchdog group, confirmed on Wednesday that its inspectors had discovered the disappearance of ten drums of “natural uranium,” totaling about 2.5 tons, from lawless Libya.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio joined other free nations at the 77th U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday in condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine as an outrage that “tramples on the vision and principles of the U.N. Charter.”

“Israel believes that going back to the old agreement will pave Iran’s path to a nuclear arsenal,” the statement from Netanyahu’s office read.

Author Bob Woodward’s new book Rage, an examination of President Donald Trump’s first term due to be released on September 15, reportedly includes excerpts from the letters Trump exchanged with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. One of the letters from Kim is said to include an explicit account of the execution of his uncle Jang Song-thaek in 2013.

An exceptionally odd North Korean propaganda video uncovered by South Korean media on Wednesday shows a group of female soldiers singing and dancing to entertain dictator Kim Jong-un. The clip is apparently part of a very long “documentary” chronicling Kim’s eventful year in 2019.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in optimistically praised the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday for helping to solve many of the world’s problems and said its “efforts toward peace are coming to fruition,” notably including on the Korean Peninsula. Moon’s assessment of the peace process was extremely positive, culminating in a proposal to transform the DMZ separating the two Koreas into a U.N. World Heritage Site.

The North Korean government on Friday declared it is ready for either “dialogue or stand-off” with the United States on denuclearization, warned Washington not to impose any further sanctions against the regime, and demanded “diehard toxin” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo be taken out of the loop for any further negotiations.

China expert and Daily Beast columnist Gordon Chang, author of The Coming Collapse of China, told SiriusXM host Alex Marlow on Monday’s edition of Breitbart News Daily that President Donald Trump is making some bold moves to get nuclear talks with North Korea moving again while appearing to ease pressure on China to secure a trade deal.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was discussing Iran and North Korea with reporters on Sunday when he inadvertently said “80-plus percent of the North Korean economy is sanctioned” instead of referring to Iran as he intended.

Hardliners in communist North Korea have denounced dictator Kim Jong-un’s softball approach to negotiations with the United States, the 38 North website, a component of the Stimson Center think tank, reported Thursday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping traveled to Pyongyang to meet with dictator Kim Jong-un on Thursday, the first Chinese leader to visit North Korea in 14 years. Xi expressed strong support for Kim and said he wanted denuclearization talks between North Korea and the U.S. to “move forward and bear fruit.”

A document from the Workers’ Party of North Korea obtained by Voice of America News and published on Monday indicated dictator Kim Jong-un hoped the United States would formally recognize North Korea as a nuclear weapons state at the second summit meeting between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Chinese and North Korean state media announced on Monday that Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping will visit North Korea this week to meet with dictator Kim Jong-un. It will be Xi’s first visit to North Korea and the first time China’s leader has made such a trip since Xi’s predecessor Hu Jintao visited Pyongyang in 2005.

North Korea accused the United States this week of showing bad faith in ongoing denuclearization negotiations by allegedly carrying out nuclear and missile tests as part of an “evil ambition” to conquer dictator Kim Jong-un’s rogue regime by force.

ABC News reported Thursday, citing anonymous sources, that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un formally demanded that the United States provide “famous basketball players” to entertain Kim in Pyongyang as part of ongoing negotiations aimed at ending the rogue communist regime’s illegal nuclear program.

North Korea launched at least one “projectile” from the vicinity of a missile base on Thursday, apparently a drill or test launch that ended with the weapon crashing into the Sea of Japan.

North Korean state media on Saturday confirmed it test-fired “multiple rocket launchers and tactical guided weapons” into the sea on orders from dictator Kim Jong-un, who was said to have personally supervised the launches.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released a report on Tuesday that said satellite photos have uncovered possible uranium reprocessing at North Korea’s Yongbyon reactor. If such activity is indeed underway, it would suggest North Korea is preparing to create more nuclear warheads.

It was not exactly a surprise to see Kim Jong-un “re-elected” as chairman of the North Korean State Affairs Commission – i.e. absolute dictator – on Friday, but quite a few other government posts were shaken up, suggesting Kim is determined to tighten his grip on power.

The United States deployed a reconnaissance aircraft that specializes in monitoring missile launches to Japan over the weekend, possibly to make it ready for monitoring North Korea’s recently refurbished ballistic missile test sites.

General Robert Abrams, the top American commander in South Korea, testified before Congress on Wednesday that North Korea’s recent actions are “inconsistent” with dictator Kim Jong-un’s pledge to dismantle his nuclear missile program.

National Security Advisor John Bolton on Thursday called on China to exert pressure on North Korea, as the road ahead for denuclearization talks remains unclear.

South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo told his parliament on Monday there is no sign of an imminent missile launch from North Korea, despite some provocative activity spotted by satellite at the rocket launch facility in Tongchang-ri.

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui on Friday issued the most direct threat to cut off negotiations with the United States since the Hanoi summit, accusing the U.S. of “gangster-like” behavior and insisting her government will not yield on the demands it made during the second meeting between dictator Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump.

South Korea issued an unusually stern warning to North Korea on Tuesday as a national security adviser to President Moon Jae-in said it would be a “big disaster” and “catastrophic” to diplomacy if Pyongyang conducted another provocative missile test to gain leverage in negotiations.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration this week expressed dismay over reports of new activity at North Korean long-range rocket site and research center allegedly used to build long-range missiles capable of targeting the United States mainland, demanding that dictator Kim Jong-Un destroy all its nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons before receiving any sanctions relief.

Before meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, 35, President Donald Trump felt he enjoyed “a very special relationship” with the dictator. But, historically, what impact does a personal relationship between foreign leaders with opposing ideologies in the voluntary pursuit of peace really have?

If we look at the countries that once possessed nukes, but no longer have them, we see a bitter lesson that you can bet Kim Jong Un has absorbed.

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho gave a press conference from Hanoi, Vietnam, on Thursday in which he disputed U.S. President Donald Trump’s account of unsuccessful negotiations with dictator Kim Jong-un.

The South Korean government expressed regret on Thursday that President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un could not reach an agreement in Hanoi. South Korea applauded the progress made so far and said it remains committed to dialogue with North Korea.

“No agreement was reached at this time, but their respective teams look forward to meeting in the future,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement to White House reporters.

President Donald Trump emphasized there was “no rush” to get a deal with North Korea as he sat with Chairman Kim Jong-un at their summit in Vietnam Thursday.

President Donald Trump seemed to be in very good humor following his meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

With the second summit on February 27-28 between President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un – this time in Vietnam – the question to be asked is: Who holds the high ground when the two leaders negotiate the issue of Pyongyang terminating its nuclear and missile programs?