Rim Country Gazette: Weak Trump Gets Nothing in Vague North Korea Nuke Deal, Kim Wins Big

This is the Whole Text of the U.S. - North Korea agreement. Kim got what he wanted - recognition as an equal to the U.S. The U.S. got nothing of substance. Trump has declared this vague agreement a great success but North Korea gave up nothing.

Donald Trump has given Kim Jong-Un exactly what he wanted and received nothing in return. Previous administrations have refused to reward North Korea’s bad behavior by giving recognition to the Kim family regime. Trump has reversed longstanding U.S. policy by elevating the status of the rogue North Korean regime by treating Kim as an equal to the U.S. president without getting any concrete change in North Korean behavior. No steps have been taken about long range missiles that could be used to attack the U.S. or our allies with nuclear bombs and no steps have been taken to do anything to stop North Korean nuclear weapons production and design.

Compared to the Iran nuclear arms elimination deal which Donald Trump revoked, this deal is a sham. The Iran deal had an explicit process of detailed inspections of Iran’s nuclear research sited that insured that no weapons could be produced and that Iran would not make further progress towards building nuclear weapons. This statement has nothing of substance.

Nuclear arms experts were not impressed by this agreement.

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Trump has undermined the sanctions on Kim that drove him to the bargaining table, for nothing but a statement that North Korea would work to completely de-nuclearize the Korea peninsula. Note that North Korea is doing just that when they work to get U.S. submarines out of south Korean waters. The U.S. policy of “maximum pressure” is now crumbling as China indicates it is ready to end sanctions.

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Benjamin Haas

China’s foreign ministry has said the international community could consider lifting economic sanctions on North Korea after the agreement signed today, according to Reuters.

This suggestion by Chinese officials signal the US policy of “maximum pressure” is already showing signs of cracking. China represents more than 90 percent of Pyongyang’s trade and is in a position to provide much needed relief for the isolated regime.

There are already reports that Kim’s charm offensive has led China to relax restrictions on trade with the North, violating United Nations’ sanctions. All of this has come without substantial concessions from Pyongyang, despite a promise from the White House “maximum pressure” would endure until North Korea relinquishes its nuclear weapons.

In his press conference Trump claimed that Kim made a verbal agreement on destroying a North Korean missile engine testing facility. Of course, destroying one facility will not stop North Korea from building missiles that threaten us and our allies. Trump is a dangerous fool who has no idea what he is doing.

Trump embellishes the agreement by claiming Kim has given his “unwavering commitment” to denuclearisation.

He says after the the document was signed Kim agreed verbally to destroying North Korea’s “major missile engine testing site”.

“Chairman Kim has before him an opportunity like no other to be remembered as the leader who ushered in a glorious new era of prosperity for his people,” Trump says.

Update 10:30 am June 12
Trump has suspended joint military exercises with South Korea without consulting the government or military leaders of South Korea, or the U.S. military. The Department of Defense is scrambling to cover for this huge immediate concession to North Korea in response to their vague promise of denuclearization. Previous administrations have refused to make this concession because they viewed joint military exercises as essential to the defense of South Korea.

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Trump said the war games were expensive and “very provocative”. Stopping them is a major concession, something the US has previously rejected as non-negotiable on the grounds that the exercises are a key element of its military alliance with Seoul, and maintaining a deterrent against North Korea.

The spokesman for U.S. forces in South Korea stated that no change in policy will be made until orders are clarified. This is an indication that U.S. military leaders have been caught off guard by this Trump pronouncement and have not prepared to implement it. Apparently, our allies in South Korea were not consulted by Trump before he made this decision.

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US forces in Korea said they had not received updated guidance on military exercises. “In coordination with our ROK [Republic of Korea] partners, we will continue with our current military posture until we receive updated guidance,” a spokesperson told Reuters.

The South Korean government and military leadership were stunned. Clearly they are trying to work through established channels with the U.S. military to stop Trump from deserting them.

The South Korean presidency issued a statement saying: “At this moment, the meaning and intention of President Trump’s remarks requires more clear understanding.”

The South Korean military appeared similarly taken aback. NBC News quoted a statement as saying: “Regarding President Trump’s comment regarding ending of the combined military drills … we need to find out the exact meaning or intention behind his comments at this point.”

Democratic senator from Connecticut, Chris Murphy summed it up this train wreck in one Tweet.

Chris Murphy ✔ @ChrisMurphyCT

Kim’s gulags, public executions, planned starvation, are legitimized on the world stage.

U.S. gives up one of our biggest negotiating chips - military exercises.

North Korea ends up BACKTRACKING on previous promises on denuclearization.

What the hell?

end update

This is the full signed statement. www.theguardian.com/...

Joint Statement of President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at the Singapore Summit.
President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a first, historic summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018.

President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un conducted a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new U.S.-DPRK relations and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Convinced that the establishment of new U.S.-DPRK relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and of the world, and recognizing that mutual confidence building can promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un state the following:

1. The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.

2. The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

3. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

4. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

Having acknowledged that the U.S.-DPRK summit - the first in history - was an epochal event of great significance and overcoming decades of tensions and hostilities between the two countries and for the opening of a new future, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un commit to implement the stipulations in this joint statement fully and expeditiously.

The United States and the DPRK commit to hold follow-on negotiations led by the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and a relevant high-level DPRK official, at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes of the U.S.-DPRK summit.

President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea have committed to cooperate for the development of new U.S.-DPRK relations and for the promotion of peace, prosperity, and security of the Korean Peninsula and of the world.
June 12, 2018
Sentosa Island