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I sincerely see Kim Jong Un as a leader seeking a better future for his country and his people. I sincerely hope the level of transparency seen with Russia will continue throughout the negotiations. Transparency will bring people to the leader of North Korea, especially those in South Korea that long for peace and a re-union with the North.
...Russia's Foreign Ministry says that Lavrov also spoke to Pompeo by phone on Wednesday, the first day of the American's talks with Kim Yong Chol, North Korea's former military intelligence chief.
There is no sign yet whether Lavrov discussed his pending visit to Pyongyang with Pompeo; the Russian ministry said the two diplomats "exchanged views on several aspects of the joint agenda," citing the Syrian crisis and Ukraine.
Thursday morning, Pompeo said in a tweet that the on-again, off-again summit would bring North Korea "a great opportunity to achieve security and economic prosperity."...
The disparity in quality of life between North and South Korea must end. I think Kim Jong Un is better prepared to make decisions than perhaps his father did not find available to him.
This is how it happened before:
1985 (click here)
December 12, 1985: North Korea accedes to the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) but does not complete a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Under Article III of the NPT, North Korea has 18 months to conclude such an arrangement. In coming years, North Korea links adherence to this provision of the treaty to the withdrawal of U.S. nuclear weapons from South Korea.
1991
September 27, 1991: President George Bush announces the unilateral withdrawal of all naval and land-based tactical nuclear weapons deployed abroad. Approximately 100 U.S. nuclear weapons had been based in South Korea. Eight days later, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev reciprocates.
November 8, 1991: In response to President Bush’s unilateral move, President Roh Tae Woo of South Korea announces the Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, under which South Korea promises not to produce, possess, store, deploy, or use nuclear weapons. In addition, the declaration unilaterally prohibits South Korea from possessing nuclear reprocessing or uranium enrichment facilities. These promises, if enacted, would satisfy all of North Korea’s conditions for allowing IAEA inspections of its nuclear facilities....
Kim Jong Un has stated several times in public that he wants the region denuclearized. I think this is what he is referring to. If North Korea is on the same page with other countries to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, there is precedent for it and it worked for as long as North Korea did not use it's nuclear capacity.
I do not want to see any see-saw effect due to USA's political propaganda. I think that is a sincere issue when moving forward with agreements to denuclearize. Any political rhetoric has to end and the USA needs to be a full partner and willing to proceed with verifiable denuclearization by the IAEA.
The USA has a very bad history in trusting the IAEA. That needs a diplomat all by itself. There have been too many times when the USA has entered into agreements, then invoked independent sanctions without any support from allies. South Korea is an important ally, but, it needs to be included when decisions regarding sanctions and/or ending agreements are invoked. South Korea has more vested interest in a denuclearized Korean Peninsula. The value it places of agreements has to be respected. In the new agreements with Kim Jong Un, the USA has to be a partner to South Korea and not it's overlord.
