So much for the hotline for the two leaders to contact each other, instead President Moon needs a one-on-one meeting with Kim Jong-un:
President Moon Jae-in could deliver a message from U.S. President Donald Trump to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un if a new inter-Korean summit takes place, a presidential official said Sunday. CNN reported earlier, citing unidentified sources, that Moon has a message from Trump to relay to the North’s leader. Moon met with Trump at the White House earlier this month to discuss ways to get the stalled denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang moving again. “If an inter-Korean summit takes place, a related message could be delivered” to the North’s leader, the presidential official told reporters, when asked to comment on the CNN report. The official did not elaborate on the content of the message.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversees flight drills of combat pilots of Unit 1017 of the Air and Anti-aircraft Force of the Korean People‘s Army on Apr. 16, as reported by Korean Central Television (KCTV) on Apr. 17. (Yonhap News)
NK leader inspects fish farmNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un (crouching) feeds fish during a visit to the Sinchang Fish Farm in South Pyongan Province on April 16, 2019, in this photo captured from the North’s Korean Central TV. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
It is pretty clear to anyone objectively viewing this that the Trump administration is playing good cop, bad cop with Kim Jong-un:
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday acknowledged that he saw North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a “tyrant,” potentially throwing cold water on dialogue with a regime that considers its supreme leader unassailable.
Speaking to the Senate Appropriation Committee, Pompeo’s comments came as an affirmative answer to a senator’s question on whether he considers Kim a “tyrant” in the likes of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
“Sure. I’m sure I’ve said that,” Pompeo replied.
The secretary’s words were in stark contrast to U.S. President Donald Trump’s own last year when he said he “fell in love” with Kim and the praise he has lavished on the North Korean leader since. Even after his second summit with Kim in Vietnam fell apart in February, the president has maintained they continue to share a “very good” relationship.
In spite of the failed summit, Pyongyang has held back from criticizing Trump directly, saying that aides like Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton persuaded Trump to walk out. The North has since expressed interest in a third summit with Trump to work things out, an idea which was reciprocated by both Pompeo and Bolton on different occasions.
You can read more at the link, but President Trump is likely being nice to Kim Jong-un so he won’t get blamed for when negotiations ultimately fail. He is leaving the tough talk and negotiations up to Pompeo and Bolton.
N.K. leader attends military meetingNorth Korea’s top leader Kim Jong-un (front, L) attends a military meeting in Pyongyang on March 25-26, 2019, in this image from the North’s Korean Central TV broadcast on March 27. It was Kim’s first reported public appearance since March 10 when he voted in the parliamentary election. Kim gave opening and closing speeches at the meeting. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
North Korea holds parliamentary electionsNorth Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un casts his vote in the election of deputies to the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly at a polling station set up at Kim Chaek University of Technology on March 10, 2019, in this photo from the North’s Korean Central News Agency on March 12. Kim voted for the president of the university, Hong So-hon, who was a candidate, the news report said. The country holds parliamentary elections every five years. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
N.K. TV airs documentary on Kim-Trump summitNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un (R, front) shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump as they bid farewell after their summit talks in Hanoi in this photo captured from a documentary aired by the North’s Korean Central TV on March 6, 2019. The broadcaster ran a 75-minute feature on the summit in the Vietnamese capital, held Feb. 27-28, that ended without any agreement. The documentary, however, said Kim reiterated his will for them to continue to meet more often to improve bilateral relations. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
