US ignores North Korea’s demand for seized ship’s return
Meanwhile, Sec. Pompeo pushes for North Korean sanctions in talks with Russia
The last time we checked on North Korea, the joint military remains recovery effort had been ended and the Asian nation was shooting missiles into the ocean.
While neither news item bodes well for a peace deal, recent developments demonstrate that the Trump administration is just as willing to use sticks as much as carrots in negotiations.
The United States has seized a North Korean shipping vessel that was violating American law and international sanctions, the Justice Department announced Thursday, a move certain to escalate tensions already on the rise because of recent North Korean weapons tests.
Prosecutors said the carrier ship, the Wise Honest, was being used to export North Korean coal, a critical sector of the North’s economy that the United States and the United Nations have aggressively imposed sanctions on in an effort to force Pyongyang to end its nuclear weapons program. The ship was also being used to import heavy machinery.
Subsequently, the North Koreans demanded the return of the ship.
The United States should release a seized North Korean cargo vessel immediately, the North’s foreign ministry said Tuesday, calling it an “illicit act of robbery.”
…North Korea linked the seizure of the ship to the stalemated nuclear dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.
“The latest act is an extension of Washington’s ‘maximum pressure’ calculation method under which the country is trying to force the North into submission,” the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted its foreign ministry spokesman as saying.
The spokesman added Pyongyang would pay sharp attention to Washington’s upcoming gestures.
I do not think Chairman Kim Jong Un or his staff are going to case much for the initial response from Washington, however.
The U.S. State Department said Tuesday it has no comment to make regarding North Korea’s demand for the return of a U.S.-seized cargo vessel.
A North Korean foreign ministry spokesperson earlier denounced the seizure of the Wise Honest as an “unlawful and outrageous act.”
…Katina Adams, a spokesperson for the State Department, said she doesn’t “have anything” on those remarks.
In addition to ignoring that demands, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is insisting on the continuations of sanctions on North Korea during current talks with Russia.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday he emphasized the need to maintain sanctions on North Korea in talks with his Russian counterpart.
Pompeo met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi to discuss cooperation on various issues, including Iran, Venezuela and North Korea.
At a joint press conference after the meeting, Pompeo said the two countries agree on the goal of North Korea’s denuclearization and will continue to discuss it.
“I underscored that we must maintain full implementation of the U.N. sanctions until the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea is achieved,” he said. “Our two teams have been working very closely together on this in a very productive fashion.”
I’ll be keeping an eye out for missile reports that may be coming from the Korean peninsula in the wake of these developments.
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Comments
It’s like fighting Canada in the South Park Movie. Maybe Kim Jong Un will bomb the Baldwins?
How about returning the U. S. Navy’s Pueblo?
Bingo!
There he goes again, doing something different from what the pundits recommend. It’s almost like they start from whatever he says or does, fantasize a bit, and say why their fantasy was wrong.
This is what you do to distinguish a behavior: respond to it differently every time, in ways that discourage the behavior. It works with kids.
My oldest grandson lives with me on and off. He is a handful. I come up with all sorts of creative punishments, and use them to increase his vocabulary. A month or so ago I I introduced him to the word insidious, as a way of describing the choices I was giving him.
Every kid is different, and it takes different tactics to force them to follow rules and act civilized.
For some reason I really like children, even tweens and teens, that is the only irrational thing I do.
Return USS Pueblo (AGER-2) to us and maybe we’ll talk.
I agree with aastrojet; let’s exchange it for the USS Pueblo. She is still a commissioned warship in the US Navy. Wouldn’t it be a great achievement just before the 2020 elections to bring her home?!!
Alternatively, when they bring it out for pomp, blow it up along with those near it. A precision strike.
Dateline January 23, 2018: North Korea Commemorates 50th Anniversary of USS Pueblo Seizure
Although ‘Don’t Give Up the Ship’ has long been a defining U.S. Navy motto, when confronted with an impossible situation, what exactly is expected of a captain?
Because context: “The Pueblo Scapegoat”
When I was stationed at the Naval Radio Relay Facility Kami Seya the transcript of the final communications between the Pueblo and U.S. Forces (Air Force and Navy) was required reading. Later I joined the Navy.
I had nothing to do with this. Because the U.S. Navy has no relationship with the Japan Coast Guard (Kaijo Hoancho). I had nothing to do with this. Nor with the development of the Tsurugi class of Japan Coast Guard cutters. Tsurugi meaning sword.
Maybe I had something to do with the development of the Japanese Aegis destroyers like the Kirishima, Atago, and Maya. And even the Hayabusa fast attack craft. But I had nothing to do with this.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=japan+jmsdf+ship+engages+north+korean+boat&&view=detail&mid=6B5C4734B8219239EEB36B5C4734B8219239EEB3&&FORM=VRDGAR
But despite the fact I had nothing to do with this engagement, it still warms my heart. Keep the f***ing boat. We got the crew back.
And do I even need to bring this to anyone’s attention? The USN no longer uses auxiliary ships to collect intel on anyone.
Try f***ing with an Arleigh Burke, NORKs.
I, for one, have been glad to see that Japan is ready, willing and able to float a blue water navy.
The best skill we have as Americans is turning old enemies into friends.
Also, I need to clarify. In one of my previous comments it might have appeared that we devious Americans got around the Japan Coast Guard’s restriction. Not at all. We had no direct relationship.
But the the Kaijo Hoancho are in an intense competiton with the Kaijo Jietiai. So indirectly I was able to influence them to develop the kind of cutters to combat the NORKs. Tsurigi? Hayabusa? Do I care? Which was the whole point. I don’t really give a rip if the Japanee forces ripping into them are called Coast Guard or JMSDF.
BTW I haven’t forgotten about the NORK shootdown of the EC-121. If they asked me nicely I would forgive it.
Excellent and enlightening comments, Arminius.
Speaking as a civilian, I don’t care which Japanese entity fights back against Communist aggressors. I’m happy to see that they’re ready willing and able. Plus, on our side.
“Keep the f***ing boat.”
Yes, but sink her at her current mooring.
The North Koreans only have 123 Merchant ships. This one was their 3rd biggest.
Let’s make that zero. One at a time.