generalspeaking

Kim Throwing Trump a Reprieve

"This [Kim Jong-Un's decision to postpone the threatened ballistic missiles strike toward Guam] is a direct invitation to talk reciprocal constraints on exercises and missile launches"
Adam Mount, senior fellow, Centre for American Progress

"Military action on the Korean Peninsula can only be decided by the Republic of Korea and no one may decide to take military action without the consent of the Republic of Korea."
"[No dialogue will proceed until the North halts its] nuclear and missile provocations."
"The government, putting everything on the line, will block war by all means." 
South Korean President Moon Jae-In

"There is no stepping back for North Korea. Those who don't know the North very well fall into this trap every time (thinking they are easing threats) but we've seen this before."
Kim Dong-yub, professor, military expert, Kyungnam University Institute of Far Eastern Studies, Seoul 

"He said that if the Yankees persist in their extremely dangerous reckless actions on the Korean Peninsula and in its vicinity, testing the self-restraint of the DPRK, the latter will make an important decision as it already declared."
"[Kim examined the plan to] wring the windpipes of the Yankees [ but decided to wait a while longer before reaching a decision]."
Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) 

Guam residents can take a deep breath, at least for now. As U.S. citizens they are located the closest to North Korea to identify as an instant target should Kim Jong-Un decide that the American president is continuing to be bloody-minded about behaving himself, deciding to continue threatening blameless North Korea for Trump's bad humour. The threat made a week earlier that just to remind President Trump that Kim holds a few trump cards of his own, he would shoot off three missiles within spitting distance of an American possession, has been temporarily delayed.

Until such time as the United States once again behaves stupidly, that is. And stupid behaviour, according to irascible but so reasonable Kim Jong-Un, is the scheduled military drills the U.S. is once again preparing to launch with South Korea. For the time being, the world can breathe easy. Whatever is destined to occur has been put off for now. No fireworks for the middle of this month, which has in any event, expired.

At this time, Pyongyang would be willing to accept a few overtures of assurances. After all, it had given Washington a reprieve in withdrawing its threat to Guam. And in so doing there is no necessity for the United States to respond, not in kind, but with impressive force of a nature meant to deter the North from any further stressful provocations to raise the ire of the colossus that is America. Japan and its citizens are now able to shrug and get on with life. South Koreans do, in any event.

Pyongyang is busy congratulating itself for its temperance in willingly stepping back from "extremely dangerous reckless actions"; not on its part, of course, but on the part of the United States. Nothing North Korea does is reckless or dangerous needless to say. It is satisfied with its good judgement and that it is most unfortunate that its U.S.-sycophantic neighbours suffer the debilitating effects of nervous tension; they really should do something about that.

Just as the North references the U.S.-South Korean military drills scheduled to begin on Monday; clearly invasion rehearsals, it is intolerable they will proceed. Pyongyang has identified their purpose and decried their intent. In the goodness of its heart, it has volunteered to suspend all further work on its ICBMs and nuclear heads in exchange for cancellation of all such combined military drills. A sign of goodwill between the Koreas and the troublesome Americans that the North would graciously accept.

Such an agreement took place previously. It did not, unfortunately, detain North Korea from its deadly weapons enterprises. So would an agreement by the U.S. for direct talks with the North do the trick? The Trump administration has signalled that it is open to a dialogue, but that Pyongyang has as yet demonstrated no real interest in furthering direct talks. While the North remains under the impression that it is they who declared a need for direct talks, sloughed off by the Americans.

It's a language-communication thing. Each echoes the other and each has impaired hearing function. According to North Korea's state media, Kim has stated that the United States must "make a proper option first and show it through action, as it committed provocations after introducing huge nuclear strategic equipment into the vicinity of the peninsula" and that it "should stop at once arrogant provocations" against North Korea.

Labels: Crisis Management, ICBMs, North Korea, Nuclear Arms, Threats, United States

posted by Pieface @ Thursday, August 17, 2017