Is a third summit between President Trump and North Korea’s Chairman Kim in the works?
Meanwhile, North Korea has historic shake-up of government and Kim takes title, “Supreme Representative of All the Korean People”
Given all the focus on President Donald Trump’s brilliant tweets about sending illegal immigrants directly to sanctuary states and cities, it may have been easy to miss an intriguing update to another long-term project POTUS has been working on: Denuclearizing North Korea.
The president hinted at a potential third summit in a recent social media message:
“I agree with Kim Jong Un of North Korea that our personal relationship remains very good, perhaps the term excellent would be even more accurate, and that a third Summit would be good in that we fully understand where we each stand,” Trump wrote online just before 8 a.m. in Washington.
“North Korea has tremendous potential for… extraordinary growth, economic success and riches under the leadership of Chairman Kim,” the president continued. “I look forward to the day, which could be soon, when Nuclear Weapons and Sanctions can be removed, and then watching North Korea become one of the most successful nations of the World!”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1117033379776667648
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1117035779589648386
Indications are that Kim is open to another summit.
Meanwhile, North Korea’s “Dear Leader” has shaken up his entire government and now has a fascinating, new title.
In an expected move, Kim was re-elected as chairman of the State Affairs Commission at a session of North Korea’s rubber-stamp legislature that took place on Thursday, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
For the first time, however, state media referred to Kim as “supreme representative of all the Korean people”. That title was approved by special decree in February, according to the Associated Press, but has not been used publicly until Friday.
Kim vows to land ‘telling blow’ against countries imposing sanctions
It’s unclear whether the changes will be codified in the constitution, but analysts said the shake-up shows Kim has fully come into his own, eight years after he inherited rule from his father, Kim Jong-il.
“The transition and power consolidation of the Kim Jong-un regime is complete,” said Michael Madden, a non-resident North Korea leadership expert with the Stimson Centre, a Washington-based think tank.
“This is probably the largest party-government shake-up in many years,” he said.
Whether the title is hinting at eventual re-unification with South Korea (i.e., Kim preparing his people for such a transition) or is based on delusions of grandeur remain to be seen.
President Moon Jae-in recently met with Trump in Washington, D.C., returning to Seoul amid speculation that he may send a special envoy to North Korea soon to help arrange further talks between Kim and Trump.
While the special envoys focused on preparations for the inter-Korean summits this year, their priority this time will be bridging the gap between Trump and Kim and helping the two sides resume negotiations.
The analysts speculated as to whether Moon’s proposal of a “good enough deal,” which goes between Trump’s “big deal” and Kim’s “small deal,” can be discussed.
They pointed out that unpredictable Trump, after stressing the “big deal” and sticking to sanctions, told Moon at one point that various smaller deals may still happen.
The “good enough deal” involves the U.S. and North Korea committing to a comprehensive agreement on peace, denuclearization and new relations.
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Comments
The rosiest view of this diplomatic opera is: An eventually unified Korean peninsula, the opening of North Korea to China-like capitalist policies, prosperity and an end to starvation for the North Korean people, an end to the absurd militarization of North Korea, a lessening of tensions between China/Japan/Taiwan/USA, and a win-win for the world.
If President Trump’s gambit is successful, he will go down in history with another “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” moment.
Unified Korea will be decades out if possible. I can’t imagine the Grand Supreme Leader of All Humanity allowing anybody else make rules for his minions.
I think the reports of Rocket Boy reshuffling his legislative assembly to put in people more of his liking was necessary for the process to move forward. He’s got generals and other apparatchiks who aren’t fans of the peace process as they are likely to be on Peking’s (I know that’s not what they want it to be called, but screw them) payroll, so he has a tightrope of sorts to cross. Perhaps a nice retirement package of continued living in comfort (or a bullet behind the left ear) was an adequate inducement.
Thanks for following this story, Leslie.
I really do not expect reunification. The South Koreans watched what happened in Germany, and know it will be orders of magnitude worse with North Korea. They do not want to be stuck with the bill, and the totally buggered up North Korean people. Maybe in a few generations.
Subotai Bahadur
I don’t expect re-uinification either, and in the unlikely event that it came to pass, it would fall apart. Try to picture in your mind any workable political business whereby Kim Jong Un listens to South Korea and does what they say for even a day, month, or a year.
The regime in North Korea (not just KJU) needs to abdicate or be toppled for something like that to eventually happen.
As for this part:
“The transition and power consolidation of the Kim Jong-un regime is complete,” said Michael Madden, a non-resident North Korea leadership expert with the Stimson Centre, a Washington-based think tank.
“This is probably the largest party-government shake-up in many years,” he said.
The bar is pretty low for change. Nothing has changed except Dear Rockets has given himself another title. What’s next? He announces himself winner of the Miss Korea pageant?
As I’ve said before, the baby jesus Obama received a Nobel peace prize for being the man baby Jesus and nothing more.
Yet here we have a President who is actually working towards making the world a safer place and actually deserves the gong for actually fucking doing something for fucking world peace!!