Tag: Kim Jong-un

Picture of the Day: Chinese Gifts for Kim Jong-un

Xi's gifts to N.K. leader

This photo capture from North Korea’s Central TV on March 29, 2018, shows a set of gifts that Chinese President Xi Jinping gave to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Kim traveled to Beijing, his first trip outside his country since taking power in late 2011, from March 25-28 and held talks with Xi. The talks between the two close allies preceded Kim’s planned summits with the leaders of South Korea and the United States.  (Yonhap)

Will Kim Jong-un Next Hold A Summit with Putin?

That is what the Korea Times is speculating about:

Vladimir Putin

With North Korean leader Kim Jong-un making a surprise visit to China, chances are that the dictator will also hold dialogue with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

The possibility has risen after Kim ended his four-day state visit to Beijing on Wednesday. Kim, accompanied by his wife, Ri Sol-ju, met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

The meeting between the two leaders came at a time when the North Korean leader plans to hold dialogue with President Moon Jae-in and United States President Donald Trump in April and May, respectively.

Kim’s unprecedented active determination for dialogue also raises hopes for a possible meeting with the Russian leader.

The Kremlin dismissed the possibility for a potential summit between Kim and Vladimir Putin. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Wednesday that no schedule for the summit has been arranged and is not under review at the moment.

But chances are that Pyongyang and Moscow could join hands, as Russia also apparently hopes to play a part in the ongoing North Korea nuclear issues.  [Korea Times]

I guess we will see over the next month if Putin wants to insert himself into the current negotiations going on over the future of the Korean peninsula.

Picture of the Day: Kim Jong-un Pictured with Wife in China

N.K. leader makes surprise visit to China

North Korea’s top leader Kim Jong-un (2nd from L) and his wife Ri Sol-ju (far L) pose for a photo with Chinese President Xi Jinping (2nd from R) and his wife Peng Liyuan at the state guest house Diaoyutai in Beijing on March 27, 2018, in Beijing, in this photo released by the Rodong Sinmun, the North’s ruling party newspaper, on March 28. After days of secrecy amid signs of such a meeting, the two countries confirmed that Kim traveled to Beijing from March 25-28 at Xi’s invitation. This is Kim’s first known overseas trip since taking power in late 2011. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

What Did Kim Jong-un and Xi Jinping Talk About During Summit?

Here is the latest on Kim Jong-un’s trip to China this week:

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing during an unannounced visit to the Chinese capital from Monday to Tuesday to discuss issues pertaining to the Korean Peninsula and bilateral relations. [YONHAP]
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made an unannounced visit to China from Monday to Tuesday on the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korea and China’s state news media confirmed Wednesday, an international diplomatic debut for a young leader who’s only weeks away from holding summits with Seoul and Washington.

It was Kim’s first known trip outside North Korea since he took power in December 2011 following his father’s death, and his first meeting with another government leader.

Rumors spread quickly Tuesday that either he or another high-level official from Pyongyang was in Beijing for talks with Xi, though neither the North Korean, Chinese or South Korean government gave any confirmation.

Photos uploaded online showed a vintage dark green North Korean train similar to the armored vehicle used by former North Korean leaders arriving in the Chinese capital.

Confirmation that Kim was in Beijing came only after he crossed back into North Korea on Wednesday morning. North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim, 34, departed the North on Sunday and arrived in Beijing on Monday.

Upon his arrival, Kim met with Xi in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where they “exchanged views on important matters including the development of DPRK-China friendly relations and the issue of handling the situation on the Korean Peninsula,” according to an English report from KCNA, using the acronym for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

On denuclearization, Kim was quoted by China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency as saying it was his “consistent stand to be committed to denuclearization on the peninsula, in accordance with the will” of his father, Kim Jong-il, and grandfather, Kim Il Sung, who founded North Korea.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

Here is what will be the key to denuclearization talks, what will North Korea demand in return for giving up their nukes:

Neither KCNA nor Xinhua specified Kim’s definition of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, but North Korea watchers have long argued that Pyongyang’s meaning of the term would require Washington’s nuclear umbrella over South Korea and Japan to be removed and American soldiers stationed in the South withdrawn before it could consider giving up its nuclear arsenal.

This goes back to what I have long been saying, both the DPRK and China want to separate the US from the ROK and then eventually Japan.  If the North Korean nuclear issue can do this, then this is in China’s interests as they seek region hegemony over Northeast Asia.  That is likely why Chinese Premier Xi Jinping wanted to meet with Kim Jong-un to ensure Chinese interests are met during the upcoming negotiations with the ROK and the US and what rewards China would give to North Korea in return for advancing their interests.

Intelligence Sources Confirm that Kim Jong-un Has Made Visit to China

According to the Korea Times’ intelligence sources, the North Korean train that traveled to China this week did in fact carry Kim Jong-un:

A train believed to be carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un leaves the Beijing Railway Station in Beijing, China, Tuesday / Reuters-Yonhap

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during a two-day visit to Beijing that started Monday, according to intelligence sources Tuesday.

This is the first time that Kim has taken an overseas trip and held a summit with a leader from another country since assuming power in 2011.

Kim took a train for his Beijing visit, but no detailed travel arrangements have been confirmed so far. The sources said that Kim met with the Chinese president and high-ranking officials from the Communist Party of China on the Beijing visit. The South Korean and Chinese governments have not released any official statements on the rare trip by the North Korean leader.

The visit comes at a critical time when the reclusive regime remains under growing diplomatic pressure amid heightened international sanctions imposed for the regime’s continuous nuclear and missile threats. With China also joining the global drive, relations between Beijing and Pyongyang had reached a low ebb.

The unexpected meeting between the two leaders also came a month before a planned inter-Korean summit. The North Korean leader has in recent months showed a strong willingness to improve ties with the South. On the back of the rare peace momentum on the Korean Peninsula, Kim also expanded the dialogue signal by offering to hold a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.  [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link, but it makes sense that Kim Jong-un would meet with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping before the upcoming summits.  China was one of the combatants of the Korean War and has significant interests on the Korean peninsula.  China will want to have these interests addressed by North Korea prior to upcoming negotiations between the DPRK, ROK, and the US.  China in turn could be influential in getting United Nations sanctions reduced since they are a member of the UN Security Council.  The next few months are shaping up to be quite interesting for the Korean peninsula.

Armored Train Arrives in Beijing Causing Speculation Kim Jong-un Is Secretly Visiting China

It looks like Kim Jong-un may be receiving his marching orders from the Chinese government before the upcoming summits with the ROK and US presidents:

Kim Jong-un was rumoured to be paying a secret visit to China on Monday after an armoured North Korean train pulled into Beijing under heavy guard.

Passengers were diverted and services cancelled as the train arrived in Beijing around 3pm, before video emerged showing a car driving away under police escort.

The train bears a marked similarity to one that Kim Jong-un’s father, Kim Jong-il, used for his trips to China, sparking speculation that the Supreme Leader was on board.

If the news is confirmed, it would mark Kim’s first visit to any foreign country since taking the reins of power. [Daily Mail]

You can read more at the link, but considering the honor guard, VIP motorcade, and the amount of security that met the train it seems likely it is either Kim Jong-un or maybe his sister visiting North Korea to justify such a response.

South Korean Foreign Minister Says Kim Jong-un Gave “His Word” to Denuclearize

Even if Kim Jong-un supposedly gave his word to seek denuclearization he could still very easily blame the ROK and the US for some made up reason to scrap any denuclearization deal that is made:

This AP file photo shows South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha. (Yonhap)

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha expressed confidence in North Korea’s commitment to abandon its nuclear weapons program, saying the regime’s leader gave “his word.”

This month North Korean leader Kim Jong-un conveyed in a verbal message to U.S. President Donald Trump that he is committed to denuclearization and would stop all nuclear and missile tests. He also invited Trump to a summit, and the U.S. president accepted the offer.

“He has given his word,” Kang told U.S. broadcaster CBS in an interview filmed Saturday and aired Sunday. “But the significance of his word is quite weighty in the sense that this is the first time that the words came directly from the North Korean supreme leader himself. And that has never been done before.”  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

Should Kim Jong-un Be Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize If Denuclearization Agreement is Reached?

That is what Oh Young-jin from the Korea Times thinks:

If there could be lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula after two summits by the end of May, all three protagonists ― President Moon Jae-in, U.S. President Donald Trump and, yes, North Korea’s young dictator Kim Jong-un ― would deserve a piece of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

True, we would have moral reservations about giving them the award.

Receiving the greatest objections would be Kim, the grandson of the North’s founder, Kim Il-sung, who led a southern invasion at the start of the 1950-53 Korean War. The third-generation dictator in the anachronistic dynasty has demonstrated his disdain for human rights, with gulags, cold-blooded purges and mass killings.

The thirty-something allegedly ordered his agents smear a deadly chemical on the face of his elder brother-in-exile at a busy international airport.

He also had his uncle mowed down by fire from anti-aircraft guns. His father, Kim Jong-il, masterminded numerous terrorist acts, including blowing up a South Korean airliner. Under his watch, and toward the end of his life, the North staged a torpedo attack on the frigate Cheonan, killing 46 South Korean sailors.  [Korea Times]

Notice that Oh Young-jin couldn’t write an article without showing his hatred of President Trump:

In Trump’s case, the list of reasons for his disqualification is long, pointing to him being an elected dictator. These include allegedly getting help from an enemy state, Russia, in the election, suppressing freedom of expression, and going back on key international agreements such as the Paris climate accord and the Iran nuclear deal. And he is openly looking down on and antagonizing Muslims at the risk of triggering a clash.

He treats women like sexual playthings. Why he is not on the #MeToo list is a mystery, although it is not entirely inexplicable. Giving him the Nobel Peace Prize is like endorsing Trump’s misogyny and misanthropy.

Trump is an elected dictator?  If Trump is an elected dictator then how come Hillary Clinton isn’t being indicted or jailed right now like the Korean left has done to their political opponents?  Even more ridiculous is to state President Trump has suppressed freedom of expression.  The vast majority of major news networks and newspapers air and publish anti-Trump propaganda against him every day without being shutdown.  Protests against President Trump occur regularly without police beating them down.  President Trump arguably may be considered a lot of other things, but he is no dictator.

Anyway lets get back at the topic at hand, in my opinion Kim Jong-un should not receive a Nobel Peace Prize because his regime is the one that has created the conflict.  If Kim Jong-un receives a Nobel Peace Prize then they should have awarded one to his grandfather Kim Il-sung and Chinese leader Mao Zedong for negotiating an end to the Korean War; which was a war they started.