As I expected, it appears the Chinese want the North Koreans to start a provocation cycle in hopes of politically damaging the Trump administration:
Stephen Biegun, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, apparently failed to meet with North Korean officials during his visit to Beijing Friday and was expected to depart for home yesterday night.
Biegun touched down in Beijing Thursday for a two-day trip, and there was speculation he may meet North Korean officials there amid stalled denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang. But Yonhap reported that Biegun appeared not to have met anyone from the North.
Neither Beijing nor Washington made any official announcement on Biegun’s Chinese visit as of 8 p.m. press time Friday, but Biegun is known to have stressed to Chinese officials that it was crucial to keep maximum pressure on the Pyongyang regime and asked for help in bringing the North back to the dialogue table.
While Biegun was visiting China, the U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to confirm him as deputy secretary of state on Thursday, and with that, he became the second-highest individual in the State Department after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Joong Ang Ilbo
You can read more at the link.
Mr. Biegun obviously understands the only one with enough leverage to get North Korea back to the negotiating table is China. Good luck with that:
U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun is set to ask senior Chinese government officials for China’s help to restart the stalled denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang, a senior ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmaker said.
Korea Times
“Biegun used his high-profile meetings with senior Seoul officials as an opportunity to highlight U.S. readiness to apply quite flexible and inventive ways to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table. He is likely to convey these ideas he discussed with South Korean officials to Chinese officials. Simply, Biegun would ask China for Beijing’s help to resume the denuclearization talks,” the lawmaker who is involved with the matter told The Korea Times, Wednesday.
The State Department announced the U.S. envoy for the North will visit Beijing on Thursday and Friday after China and Russia proposed lifting some United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions on the North. The department said Biegun will discuss “the need to maintain international unity on North Korea” when he meets with Chinese officials.
You can read more at the link, but it seems North Korean provocations is actually in China’s interest and probably encouraging the upcoming provocation cycle.
This is just further evidence that North Korea is committed to conducting a provocation:
U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun failed to meet a senior North Korean diplomat at the North’s side of the Joint Security Area, also known as Panmunjeom, despite his open request for the high-profile meeting to resume stalled denuclearization talks.
Korea Times
“Efforts by intelligence officials between South Korea and the United States to make Biegun’s direct encounter with North Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui actually happen at Panmunjeom went in vain as Pyongyang didn’t respond to the request,” a senior South Korean intelligence official told The Korea Times by telephone, Tuesday.
After wrapping up his three-day visit to Seoul, the senior Washington official left for Tokyo for talks with Japanese officials on the North Korean nuclear issue. The intelligence official added Biegun had planned to pass on U.S. President Donald Trump’s “personal messages” for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the senior North Korean diplomat if the meeting had happened.
You can read more at the link, but the Kim regime seems committed to raising tensions and creating a “crisis”. This will allow the U.S. media to have non-stop breathless coverage of how President Trump’s North Korea policies have failed. The Kim regime probably believes this will pressure Trump into a deal favorable to them because he is facing reelection next year and will want the Korea “crisis” to go away.
The only question now appears to be what will the rocket launch be? I expect they will conduct a “space launch” and put a satellite into orbit again. This allows the Kim regime to claim they have the right to the peaceful use of space just like everyone else. Plus it gives cover to the Russians and Chinese to block any efforts to further sanction North Korea at the United Nations.
It looks like the Trump administration has not given up on diplomacy with North Korea:
U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun may visit the North Korean side of the Joint Security Area early next week, for a meeting with a high-level North Korean official, sources familiar with the issue told The Korea Times, Wednesday.
Korea Times
“Biegun plans to visit South Korea later this week or early next week, after attending a meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in New York. Talks are underway for Biegun to possibly meet with a high-level North Korean diplomat on the North’s side of the border village of Panmunjeom,” a senior lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said.
You can read more at the link.
It looks like the Trump administration may be giving into ROK demands to provide humanitarian assistance to South Korea. I wish someone would ask President Moon why a country with a massive military, a nuclear weapons program, and the regime elite living lavish lifestyles needs humanitarian aid?:
Hopes are growing for a possible breakthrough in the stalemate in denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington, after a key U.S. official visiting South Korea referred to possible resumption of humanitarian aid to the North.
Korea Times
U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun said the U.S. is reviewing possible exemptions to the ban on U.S. citizens traveling to North Korea regarding humanitarian aid. He also referred to improving 70 years of hostile relations after arriving at Incheon International Airport.
“We will also review American citizens’ travel to North Korea for the purpose of facilitating the delivery of aid and ensure that monitoring in line with international standards can occur,” he said.
Improving bilateral relations is among the agreements North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump reached at their historic summit in June.
The U.S. official had refrained from making any public remarks on his previous visits. His statement this time is seen as a message from Washington to Pyongyang. Biegun stated the review on the travel ban for humanitarian aid purposes was a direction from U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
You can read more at the link.
