Tag: Kim Jong-un

It looks like Kim Jong-un is once again getting a free ride during his visit to Singapore, courtesy of the government of Singapore:

Most Singaporeans are excited about their country playing host to the historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

But not all are happy about the city-state bearing the cost of the summit slated to be held at the Capella Hotel on Singapore’s resort island of Sentosa, June 12.

Proponents believe that this is a great chance for Singapore to upgrade its international image, so the government and people are taking a strategic approach.

In other words, paying the direct costs for North Korea, such as lodging, transport and dining, can be a monetary loss in the short-term, but successful hosting the summit will bring greater value for the country.

“This kind of opportunity does not come often. I think we can afford to bear the cost and it will help leverage our international status,” said a senior executive at one of the five-star hotels in Singapore on condition of anonymity.  [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link.

I wonder if Dennis Rodman will be invited to Mar-a-Lago as well?  Could you imagine President Trump, Kim Jong-un, and Dennis Rodman all playing golf together?:

U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly toying with the idea of offering North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a second summit at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, possibly in the fall if the first bilateral summit goes smoothly next week.

Citing several U.S. government officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Bloomberg reported Wednesday that the White House wants Kim to commit to a timetable to surrender his country’s nuclear arsenal when they meet next Tuesday in Singapore, and that Trump has been advised not to offer Kim any concessions.

If the two men “hit it off,” the White House chief could suggest a second face-to-face meeting at his resort in the southern state of Florida, said the report, without further explanation. No North Korean leader has ever set foot in the United States. Kim has made only three known foreign trips so far since assuming power in December 2011, twice to China and once to South Korea.

“There could be more than one meeting, more than one conversation” between Kim and Trump, said Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s counselor. A nuclear deal, she continued, may take “two, three, four, five” meetings.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link.

It looks like the venue for the Trump-Kim summit has finally been locked in:

The Capella Hotel on Singapore’s resort island of Sentosa was named the venue for next week’s historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un by the White House on Wednesday.

The much-anticipated summit is scheduled for 9 a.m. local time on June 12, and the announcement of the venue comes after U.S. and North Korean logistics teams scoured the Southeast Asian city-state last week for an optimal location.

After revealing the time of the meeting on Monday, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, tweeted: “UPDATE: The venue for the Singapore summit between @POTUS [the president of the United States] and Leader Kim Jong Un will be the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island. We thank our great Singaporean hosts for their hospitality.”  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

I am still wondering who is picking up Kim Jong-un’s hotel bill since the US State Department says they aren’t paying for it:

The U.S. State Department addressed speculation about who is paying for the North Koreans’ stay in Singapore. Heather Nauert, spokesperson of the State Department, on Tuesday said, “The United States government is not paying for the North Korean delegation to stay” in Singapore, adding that it is not “paying for their expenses.”

I am glad to see that the State Department is not giving in to the demands to pay for Kim’s hotel bill.  I wonder if the South Koreans will end up getting stuck with Kim’s hotel bill?

It is not a matter of whether the DPRK can afford the summit. It is really a test of how openly the DPRK can snooker whomever. It’s a clever tactic to test its opponents’ weaknesses before even sitting down. Let the eye blinking begin! https://t.co/9srzrkYsoH

— tomcoyner (@tomcoyner) June 3, 2018

There has been some changes in the North Korean military’s top leadership:

Seoul is monitoring developments in the North’s military, it said Monday after reports Pyongyang replaced three of its top military officials ahead of a summit with the United States.

President Donald Trump is due to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore with Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal high on the agenda and reports said that the reshuffle could be aimed at taming the military.

Late last month the North’s state media revealed that Kim Su Gil had been appointed as director of the military’s powerful General Political Bureau (GPB), replacing Kim Jong Gak.

According to Yonhap news agency, which cited intelligence sources, the chief of the general staff Ri Myong Su has also been replaced by his deputy, Ri Yong Gil.

And defence minister Pak Yong Sik has been succeeded by No Kwang Chol, previously first vice minister, it added.

The wholesale reshuffle would be unusual if confirmed, Seoul’s unification ministry said.  [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link, but analysts think the changes is to prevent any resistance to any nuclear deal that Kim Jong-un may agree to during his summit with President Trump.  The Asahi Shimbun is reporting that all three of North Korea’s top military leadership positions have been changed in the past six months in preparation for any changes in the country’s nuclear policy.

I think Kim Jong-un just wants to make sure he has top military generals that he completely trusts in place before exiting the country to go to Singapore next week.  If there was ever going to be a coup against the Kim regime, it would be when he and his top lieutenants are in Singapore for the summit.

Here is the latest development on the Trump-Kim summit in Singapore:

President Moon Jae-in will join North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore next week to declare an end to the Korean War, which has technically been running for 68 years, according to a diplomatic source.

“Preparations are already underway for President Moon to declare a formal end to the Korean War with the two leaders on June 12, the date of the North-U.S. summit, or the next day on the 13th,” said the source, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

“Singapore has already begun preparations to host President Moon [for a trilateral meeting].”

If realized, the three leaders standing together to declare the Korean War’s end will certainly be a charged symbolic moment, but it will not have legal force.  (…………)

Expectations of a declaration to end the Korean War arose after Trump’s remarks early Saturday, when he said signing of a statement to end it would be “very important,” after a meeting with Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of the North Korean Workers’ Party’s Central Committee, who delivered a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

“We talked about ending the war,” Trump said on the south lawn after Kim Yong-chol left the White House. “And you know, this war has been going on – it’s got to be the longest war – almost 70 years, right? And there is a possibility of something like that.

“Can you believe that we’re talking about the ending of the Korean War?” he continued. “You’re talking about 70 years.”

He said the declaration will be “more of a signing of a document,” and “very important.”  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read much more at the link, but is it just me or does it seem like President Moon was very eager to once again get the spotlight on him by forcing his way into this summit?

Anyway the so called into the Korean War won’t really be an end because the United Nations Armistice Command and China will also have to agree to the end of the Korean War to make it official.  This will allow President Trump to easily back out on this declaration at a later date if the Kim regime does not live up to whatever commitments they are prepared to make.

Who pays the hotel bill is allegedly one of the issues being discussed between US and North Korean negotiators:

The prospect for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula could hinge on who picks up the tab for Kim Jong Un’s hotel.

The arrangements for the five-star accommodations are among many that have to be hashed out before Kim and President Trump sit down for the historic talks in Singapore, the Washington Post reported.

But the US would need to circumvent its own sanctions against the rogue nation.

The peace talks are set for The Fullerton Hotel Singapore on June 12.

A rack rate room goes for $415 that night but a super-luxurious suite, befitting a world leader, could go for as much as $6,000, the newspaper said.

The hermit kingdom reportedly requires that all of Kim’s lodging bills are picked up by another country.

The US is open to paying for Kim. But first, Trump’s team would have to get around its own economic sanctions against North Korea — by obtaining a waiver from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.  [NY Post]

You can read more at the link, but it is amazing how shameless the Kim regime is about having other people pick up their tabs.  They kind of remind me of this woman who recently made headlines in New York City.

Howard from Australia now taking his Kim Jong Un act to Singapore in hopes of extending his 15 minutes of fame https://t.co/5lyqmKsik7 pic.twitter.com/flkwtXEZEg

— NorthKoreaRealTime (@BuckTurgidson79) May 28, 2018

That is what some in Washington D.C. are thinking:

When Donald Trump abruptly scrapped their planned summit, Kim Jong Un sought out someone he knew would come over for a chat: South Korean leader Moon Jae-in.  (………….)

For now, Moon has maintained an appearance as a neutral middleman who can bridge the gap between Trump and Kim, two reactive leaders who create a high risk of miscalculation. Yet over the longer term, Moon’s desire to cut a peace deal with North Korea during his single five-year term means Trump could find it harder to enforce his “maximum pressure” campaign if talks break down again.

“There is a fine line between being an honest broker and being the North’s accomplice,” said Ralph Cossa, president of Pacific Forum in Honolulu. “There are some in Washington who are seeing Moon as the latter and this builds upon the distrust that any progressive leader carries with him.”  [Bloomberg]

You can read more at the link, but if things turn out once again that North Korea gets aid and sanctions relief for little to nothing in return; the media and left will not think of Moon as an accomplice.  Instead they will award Moon the Nobel Peace Prize just like they did with former President Kim Dae-jung.

Kim Dae-jung gave the North Koreans a $500 million bribe to hold the summit and yet many in the media and the left defend his legacy to this day.  Arguably the bribe followed by nearly a decade of unconditional aid has sustained the Kim regime after the break up of the Soviet Union and allowed them to build their current nuclear arsenal.

However, maybe Moon will surprise us and he will convince Kim Jong-un to give up his nuclear weapons with his current bromance effort.  If that is the case President Moon would definitely be worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize and any other accolade people want to give him.  I am however not getting my hopes up.

I just got a delivery from Pyongyang: Anecdotes of Kim Jong Un’s Life. A gem on every page. Thank you @rpcward89! pic.twitter.com/oqdVScUd3P

— Anna Fifield (@annafifield) May 26, 2018