US President Donald Trump responded to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s New Year’s address with a warning that the US nuclear arsenal is bigger and better than North Korea’s – a warning that is unlikely to be well received on either side of the DMZ.
While Trump’s tweets do not necessarily reflect policy, the message may pour cold water on the sudden thaw that appears set to heat up currently frigid relations between the two Koreas. On January 1, Kim broadcast a conciliatory New Year’s message toward the South. On January 2, Seoul’s Unification Ministry acted with alacrity, suggesting high-level inter-Korean talks on January 9. Seoul is currently awaiting Pyongyang’s response to that offer.
Trump’s reaction to Kim’s address was markedly different in both tone and content to the South Korean response.
On the evening of January 2, Trump tweeted: “North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the ‘Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.’ Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!”
In an earlier tweet the same evening, Trump had noted that sanctions were having an impact on North Korea, adding, “Rocket man now wants to talk to South Korea for first time. Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not – we will see!”
“Rocket man” is Trump’s derisory term for Kim.
In his customary New Year’s address, Kim had warned, “The entire United States is within range of our nuclear weapons, and a nuclear button is always on my desk. This is reality, not a threat.” The North Korea leader had also said he would mass-produce nuclear arms, but added,“These weapons will be used only if our security is threatened.”
The US president’s second tweet appeared to point not just to the massive disparity between the US and North Korean atomic arsenals, but also to the fact that the North Korean nuclear force is likely not yet fully operational. It is unclear whether Pyongyang’s scientists have appropriate re-entry vehicles – which bring the final stage of ballistic missiles back into the Earth’s atmosphere – or targeting systems. Nor has the regime conducted an atmospheric nuclear test.
Perhaps in a realization that his belligerent approach toward the United States in 2017 had not produced desired outcomes, Kim Jong-un’s New Year’s message had been conciliatory toward Seoul
Perhaps in a realization that his belligerent approach toward the United States in 2017 had not produced desired outcomes, Kim’s New Year’s message had been conciliatory toward Seoul.
“It’s about time that the North and the South sit down and seriously discuss how to improve inter-Korean relations by ourselves and dramatically open up,” Kim said. He added that he wished for the success of the Winter Olympics, being held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in February, and was ready to send a delegation.
Engagement with North Korea has long been a policy objective of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has also called for a North Korean presence at the Winter Games as a starting point.
Analysts were torn between praising Trump’s first tweet and criticizing his second.
“The first was a reasonable response – he did not try to undercut Moon – but the second was between juvenile and self-parody,” said John Delury, an associate professor of Yonsei University’s Graduate School of International Studies in Seoul. “I think he doesn’t want to lose the foil of Kim, and I think Kim may not want to lose the foil of Trump – they both work off their domestic political theaters.”
But at a time when US officials are reportedly mulling strikes on North Korean weapons sites while South Korean officials are keenly pursuing dialogue with the North, Seoul and Washington need to be wary of moves by Pyongyang to drive a wedge between the two allies, one US expert warned.
“Kim talked about ‘continuing to forge ahead to achieve the final victory of the revolution,’” said Tara O, an adjunct fellow at the think-tank Pacific Forum CSIS, in an analysis of his New Year’s speech. “By ‘final victory,’ Kim is referring to North Korea’s long-stated goal of unifying the Korean Peninsula under his regime’s rule. Breaking the alliance and getting the US military off the peninsula is a key step toward that goal.”
O, author of The Collapse of North Korea and a retired US Air Force colonel, also noted that Kim had talked about handling inter-Korean relations among “uriminjokkiri” – which means “’among our people,’ meaning, without the US,” she explained.
Better for the US to back off and go home since it is not wanted nor threatened. Looks like the US is looking for a fight, a big school boy bully knowing you have the muscle.
The dirtiest word in the American vocabulary is " Peace". Anyone in power will lose his position in the US Elite or any other minor position he might hold, by just mentioning such a word. To them it is " War good"….." Peace baaaaad !"
I think it will remain that way until say, New York, Chigago, San Francisco and Atlanta go up in a radioactive cloud of smoke. Then I would expect the American public to once more love peace. But then again who knows, they do have the most throrough, expensive, effective and all pervasive brain washing system that the world has ever seen. And it promotes war. Orwell would feel right at home in present day America. But even a dog understands pain, so there is hope for Americans as well.
They won`t go home because they are still suffering under the dellusion that they can rule the world.
Mr. Trump has said he may have to destroy North Korea. Our feckless Obama administration convinced the Norks and the Iranians that nukes are essential to survival.
"You Break It, You Own It" at http://www.scragged.com/articles/you-break-it-you-own-it reminds us that we promised the Ukraine we’d defend them if they gave up their Soviet-era nukes. We also promised Mr. Qaddafi we’d leave him alone if he gave up his nukes, which he did.
Mr. Obama and Hillary abandoned the Ukraine and killed Mr. Qaddafi. Given these lies by the Obama administration, how can we expect anyone to trust us enough to give up nukes short of violence? How else can they defend themselves?
The Saudis and Israelis said this would happen, but Mr. Obama didn’t listen.
The New York Times article http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/us/politics/libya-isis-hillary-clinton.html?r=0 documents the many problems with Mr. Obama’s approach.
If you can think of a nonviolent way to persuade them, you’ll deserve a Nobel Prize.
"Mine is bigger than yours", a true statesman.
Wrong! Tell that spoiled, big, fat, psychotic pig of north to stop from threathening. The world is not like the kingdom he is ruling where people are blindly following his rabid excellency
Very smart observation mister!
Now people, who is itching for a fight the Fat Boy or the tweeter Don? When the Fat Boy says the continental US is within reach of his nukes, do you think most Americans including TD should cower in fear. Hussssh now dont say anything to aggrevate Fatty’s dorky mind. The reason Fatty is warming up to the South is because TD is not bluffing.
Japan treacherously attacked US Pearl Harbor with so many American casualties and massive destruction of the American Naval Base. In return, USA, drop atomic bombs at Nagasaki and Hiroshima forcing Japan to surrender ending WWII. By this event, NK should realize that if they attack US and her Allies, they retaliation will be massive and much more powerful than that of Japan. In short, NK may be removed from the map. NK should understand that US means business in this regard.
Japan treacherously attacked US Pearl Harbor with so many American casualties and massive destruction of the American Naval Base. In return, USA, dropped atomic bombs at Nagasaki and Hiroshima forcing Japan to surrender ending WWII. By this event, NK should realize that if they attack US and her Allies, they retaliation will be massive and much more powerful than that of Japan. In short, NK may be removed from the map. NK should understand that US means business in this regard.
kim jong is a poker master.
God had gifted USA with several qualities;great American people with humane heart, super power for the purpose of strengthening world peace & the American governments as judges for maintaining equilibrium between the haves & have nots. The people have not changed, the power has not dwindled but the governments formed during the past couple of decades have turned hostile to the human approach basics of the Constitution of the land. The present President Mr. Donald Trump should not under estimate the annoyance of rest of the world expressed recently in the UNO. Such a situation is indication that the Trump like Presidents are not accepted by the world & in fact the US governments with biased people to people approch have generated hate, bringing bad name to the generous people of the great nation.
SOONER OR LATER NORTH AN SOTH WILL BECOME ONE AGAIN .THEY ARE THE SAME PEOPLE just different ideas ITS ONY RIGHT THE WORLD BRING THEM BACK TOGETHER AN NOT TAKE SIDE .
WHEATHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT .MOST OF THE PEOPLE IN THESE REGIONS LOOK CHINESE AN CHINA IS THE POWER HOUSE IN THAT REGION .CHINA IS THE ONE QUELLING THESE PROBLEMS look AT PHILLIPPINES MALAYSIA TAIWAN KOREA VIETNAM SINGAPORE ALL THESE PEOPLE RESEMBLES CHINESE PEOPLE CULTURE AN TRADITIONS AN CUSTOM NEARLY THE SAME LEAVE THEM BE !!
CHINA TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR PEOPLE YOU CANNOT RUN FROM THAT YOU THE ONE HAS THE POWER IN THAT AREA HISTORICALLY THEY ALL OFF SHOOTS OF YOU CHINESE PEOPLE>>…….TAKE CONTROL otherwise u power an greatness MEANS NOTHING ITS A SHAME TO SEE FOREIGN CONTRY HAS TO COME SOLVE PROBLEM IN THAT AREA WHERE YOU ARE CLAIMING TO BE GREAT
NO ONE CAN COME TO THE AMERICAS AN MESS UP THATS UNITED STATES TERRITORY SAME WITH YOUR AREA ITS A SHAME WHATS HAPPENING>
meddling is the problem in other countries affair
the threats comes after
i agree with that .could a jew ruled the arab world could african man rule russia countries before fight back against these things i say let these people sought there stories out once they dont invade you all these people are the same in that region china has the key to that