Will killing of Iran’s Soleimani influence North Korea’s “strategic weapon” plans?

Will killing of Iran’s Soleimani influence North Korea’s “strategic weapon” plans?

By Duyeon Kim, January 9, 2020

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Kim Jong Un, giving his plenary speech. Photo credit: KCNA

It’s anybody’s guess as to what North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is thinking and feeling in reaction to the US killing of General Qasem Soleimani, head of the Iran’s Quds Force. In Kim’s mind, does the killing make it seem less likely that US President Donald Trump’s “fire and fury” rhetoric and escalatory actions of 2017 were a bluff? Does the regime regard Soleimani’s death as a warning not to provoke Washington this year with more weapons tests? Will Pyongyang be more cautious this year than in the past, or will it see Washington’s preoccupation with the Middle East as an opportunity to accelerate perfecting (including testing) its nuclear weapons capability? Will the killing further confirm in the North Korean leader’s eyes his rationale of having nuclear weapons to guard against what he views as US aggression?

Finian Cunningham -- Why Trump is Winding Up Tensions with North Korea

Why Trump is Winding Up Tensions with North Korea

Finian Cunningham

December 25, 2019

© Photo: Flickr / whitehouse

After 18 months of on-off diplomacy with North Korea, the Trump administration seems determined now to jettison the fragile talk about peace, reverting to its earlier campaign of “maximum pressure” and hostility. It’s a retrograde move risking a disastrous war.

In a visit to China this week, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Chinese leader Xi Jinping both urged for greater momentum in the diplomatic process with North Korea, saying that renewed tensions benefit no-one. The two leaders may need to revise that assertion. Tensions greatly benefit someone – Washington.

Why Trump is winding up tensions again with Pyongyang appears to involve a two-fold calculation. It gives Washington greater leverage to extort more money from South Korea for the presence of US military forces on its territory; secondly, the Trump administration can use the tensions as cover for increasing its regional forces aimed at confronting China.

North Korea Denuclearization Digest

North Korea Denuclearization Digest

This periodic e-newsletter will provide readers with updates and analyses on diplomatic and denuclearization efforts on the Korean peninsula. To receive these by email, subscribe to our regular updates list.

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• North Korea Rejects U.S. Proposal | North Korea Denuclearization Digest, October 10, 2019
  October 10, 2019
  Working-level talks between the U.S. and North Korea hit a roadblock this month after negotiators failed to agree on steps toward a denuclearization and peace process. The Trump Administration appears optimistic about future bilateral negotiations despite Pyongyang’s recent missile provocations and warning of a resumption of long-range ballistic missile tests.
• Trump and Kim Agree to Resume Talks | The North Korea Denuclearization Digest, July 2, 2019
  July 2, 2019
  U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met at the DMZ June 30, as President Moon Jae-in of South Korea calls on the U.S. and North Korea to advance denuclearization negotiations, and China's President Xi Jinping visits Pyongyang.
• Door to Diplomacy Remains Open Despite Missile Tests | North Korea Denuclearization Digest, May 2019
  May 21, 2019
  The next steps for U.S. diplomacy with North Korea remain unclear after Pyongyang tested several short-range ballistic missiles in early May. U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun met with South Korean officials in Seoul May 9-10 amid criticisms from North Korea of the U.S. negotiating team and U.S. seizure of a North Korean ship.

Trump infuriated & insulted South Koreans when he said “they do nothing without our approval”

Washington’s Ire Shifts From Kim Jong-un to Moon Jae-in

Trump infuriated and insulted South Koreans when he said “they do nothing without our approval.”

By Tim Shorrock

South Korean President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a meeting in Seoul, South Korea, on October 7, 2018. (Pool via Reuters / Ahn Young-joon)

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As the two Koreas continue to move their peace process forward in the wake of their highly successful September summit in Pyongyang, the Trump administration, along with military-industrial think tanks and journalists who influence US policy, have shifted their collective indignation away from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and toward South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Politics and History of U.S.-DPRK Relations

Politics and History of U.S.-DPRK Relations

DPRK has long tradition of struggle against imperialist military intervention

By Abayomi Azikiwe

Global Research, June 04, 2018

Region: Asia, USA

Theme: History

In-depth Report: NORTH KOREA

In order to acquire an appreciation of the events surrounding United States-DPRK relations it is first necessary to place the upcoming summit meeting between Marshall Kim Jong un and President Donald Trump in Singapore within a politico-historical context.

There has never been a peace treaty signed after the armistice agreement of 1953 which ended the direct military engagement which lasted from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953. This war popularly known in the U.S. as the “Korean Conflict,” was a costly intervention for Washington.

Tens of thousands of Pentagon, British and Republic of Korea puppet troops were killed in battle and several hundred thousands more were wounded and injured. The battle was viewed in the capitalist world as the opening of the post-World War II effort to roll back and destroy the socialist camp. 

For its was the Red Army which broke the back of the Nazi forces in a series of battles between 1942-43 in Moscow, Stalingrad and other areas inside the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The founder of the DPRK and the leader of the Korean Communist Party, later the Workers Party of Korea (WPK), Kim Il Sung, served alongside the Soviet and Chinese Communist Party comrades in both mainland China and northern Korea. 

The Korean Peninsula had been subjected to Japanese interference and domination dating back to the later decades of the 19th century. The Korea-Japan Treaty of 1876 was followed by similar agreements of 1905 and 1910 annexing the peninsula.

Korea was occupied by Japanese imperialism for four decades until the conclusion of World War II and the defeat of Tokyo. During the years of 1945-48 there was the consolidation of socialist state rule and the formation of the DPRK. 

All the while the U.S. under President Harry Truman was seeking to place surrogate leaders in the southern region of the Peninsula many of whom were former operatives of the Japanese rulers. Trade unionists, radicals, socialists and national revolutionary elements were targeted by the U.S.-backed regime in Seoul.

BREAKING: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to visit North Korea tomorrow on invitation from Pyongyang

The manner in which any peace arrangement is concluded is of much interest for the Russians

by 

FRANK SELLERS

May 30, 2018, 10:18

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As reported by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, will be travelling to Pyongyang for a visit with his North Korean counterpart tomorrow.

The agenda is set to cover relations between the two nations, as well as covering areas of regional and international concern.

The North Korean Foreign Minister, Ri Yong-ho, has recently visited Moscow, following which the invitation for Lavrov to journey to Pyongyang was given.

The South China Morning Post reported yesterday events leading up to the visit:

The report did not say when Lavrov would arrive in North Korea or the reason behind the visit.

News of Lavrov’s visit follows comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin calling for restraint to keep North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the negotiating table, and comes as plans for a historic meeting between Kim and US President Donald Trump appear to be progressing.

Vladimir Putin said on Friday that finding a solution to the North Korea nuclear tensions is of great importance to Russia and says North Korea’s sovereignty should be guaranteed.

“A full denuclearisation of North Korea” should involve giving “North Korea a guarantee of their sovereignty and inviolability”, Putin said.

“If you don’t behave aggressively and if you don’t corner North Korea, the result that we need will be achieved faster than many would think, and at less cost.”

Peace Negotiator” Mike Pompeo: There is a CIA Plot to Assassinate Kim Jong-un?

Peace Negotiator” Mike Pompeo: There is a CIA Plot to Assassinate Kim Jong-un?

By Prof Michel Chossudovsky

Global Research, May 27, 2018

Region: Asia

Theme: Intelligence

In-depth Report: NORTH KOREA

In May of last year, the DPRK accused both the CIA (headed by Mike Pompeo) and the ROK’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) of “a failed plot to assassinate its leader Kim Jong-un with a biochemical bomb at a military parade in Pyongyang.”

Neither the CIA nor the White House responded to these accusations.

While press reports acknowledged the CIA’s “long history” of political assassinations, the DPRK’s accusations were casually dismissed.

According to The Guardian (March 5, 2017)

“The CIA has a long history of helping to kill leaders around the world. US intelligence agency has since 1945 succeeded in deposing or killing a string of leaders, but was forced to cut back after a Senate investigation in the 1970s”

According to North Korea’s ministry of state security, the CIA has not abandoned its old ways. In a statement on Friday, it accused that the CIA and South Korea’s intelligence service of being behind an alleged recent an assassination attempt on its leader Kim Jong-un.

North Korea abandons talks with South, Trump amidst US and ROK joint military drills

North Korea abandons talks with South, Trump amidst US and ROK joint military drills

After all, how are you bolstering your sincere intention for seeking peace, when you’re practicing killing them?

by FRANK SELLERSMay 16, 2018, 01:19

Just ahead of upcoming peace talks between South Korea, the US, and North Korea, the Republic of Korea and the US conduct military scenario drills rehearsing conflict against the North.

These drills are being perceived by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as a provocation. CGTN reports:

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea cancelled talks with the Republic of Korea in response to military drills carried out between ROK and the United States, Yonhap reported Wednesday (local time).

According to the report, DPRK’s Central News Agency (KCNA) stated that the air force drills being carried out between ROK and the United States are a “rehearsal for invasion of the North and a provocation.”

The talks scheduled for Wednesday were planned to discuss follow up actions following the historic summit that took place between DPRK’s leader Kim Jon Un and ROK’s president Moon Jae-in.

The DPRK has also threatened to pull out of the upcoming Trump summit over the military drills.

FEDERICO PIERACCINI -- Sophisticated North Korean Diplomacy Rewards Kim Jong-un

FEDERICO PIERACCINI | 27.04.2018 | FEATURED STORY

Sophisticated North Korean Diplomacy Rewards Kim Jong-un

Preparations for the meeting between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump are for the moment continuing without a hitch. The next step will be the historic meeting between Moon Jae-in of South Korea and his North Korean counterpart. On the table are several possibilities. Pyongyang's strategy seems to be much more refined than it may seem.

The news surrounding the negotiations on the North Korean peninsula continues to appear promising, with all the parties involved remaining relatively optimistic. Important words coming from Pyongyang have been heard in recent weeks. The North Korean leadership has recently established some guidelines regarding internal social and economic development over the coming years. Once complete nuclear deterrence has been achieved, the objective then becomes the development of the economy and an improvement in the material wellbeing of North Koreans. The renunciation of its nuclear status is part of a broader plan that brings with it some essential requirements, such as the reunification of the two Koreas, a peace treaty with the United States, and the withdrawal of foreign troops from the peninsula. The possibility of achieving economic wellbeing for North Koreans is subject to the success of meeting these requirements. In this sense, the planned meeting between Moon Jae-in (President of South Korea) and Kim Jong-un opens up new possibilities, given the good will of the leadership of both countries to resolve their long-standing problems. Proceeding according to the timeline presented above, the meeting between the two leaders should take place in May, paving the way for the much more critical meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in a place yet to be decided, but one which would have high symbolic value.

Avoiding excessive optimism, despite the obvious improvements in tone, rhetoric and actions compared to a year ago, the overall US strategy in the region should be considered. We have learned in recent months that the incumbent of the Oval Office has little influence over the dictates of the foreign-policy establishment, the deep state -- call it what you like. This is a toxic concoction of industrialists, politicians, think-tank experts, former politicians, soldiers, and philanthropists dedicated solely to the preservation of the role of American primacy, with aspirations to global hegemony, dictated by the (wrong) belief that America is an exceptional country (see parts1, 2, 3, and 4). In this sense, as highlighted by the Nuclear Posture Review, Washington has to deal with two peer competitors (China and Russia) and two minor opponents (Iran and North Korea) and plans its actions in the long term. The US troops stationed in South Korea reflect the desire of policy-makers to surround the Heartland and its periphery to contain the two powers that occupy this geographical space: Russia and China.

The Role of the UN in the Unending Korean War. “United Nations Command” as Camouflage

The Role of the UN in the Unending Korean War. “United Nations Command” as Camouflage

By Ronda Hauben

Global Research, March 12, 2018

Netizenblog and Global Research 21 September 2013

Region: Asia

Theme: United Nations, US NATO War Agenda

In-depth Report: NORTH KOREA

Relevant article selected from the GR archive, first published on Global Research and Ronda Hauben’s blogsite in  September 2013.

Some Background

The story of the Korean War is a story not often told. Yet sixty years after the agreement to end the military hostilities on July 27, 1953, there is not yet a peace treaty to end the war.

This article on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Armistice Agreement is intended as a contribution to the body of research and study needed to find the underlying cause of the bottleneck impeding the negotiation of a peace treaty so a breakthrough can be made.

Korea, which had been one nation for over 1000 years, had been forcibly divided at the end of WWII. By the UN legitimating an election in the South of Korea in May 1948 which was boycotted by many Koreans and from which all North Koreans and many South Koreans were excluded, a formal structural division was created which continues until today. (1) The significant aspect of the UN supported election was that it led to an official government structure for only the southern part of Korea, thus solidifying the division of Korea. The government structure created in the South by the election was a repressive government structure. One view of the military conflict that became known as the Korean War was that it was a civil war that was trying to restore Korea as one country.

The US Government response to the fighting which broke out in June 1950 in Korea was to perpetuate support for the repressive government that the US and UN had put in place as the Republic of Korea (more commonly known as South Korea). This is the context in which the United Nations Security Council resolutions of June and July 1950 authorizing UN participation in the Korean War took place.

The question that led me to begin this study was:

What Was the Role of the UN in the Korean War and What Should be the Role of the UN in Bringing an End to the War?

It is important to take into account that before any action was taken on the part of the UN on June 27, 1950 authorizing intervention in the Korean War, the US had decided and began to send military support to the South Korean side of the conflict. The independent journalist, I.F. Stone in his book, “The Hidden History of the Korean War,” describes this US action as forcing the UN Security Council to support the US Government action in Korea.(2)

Stone writes:

“When Truman ‘ordered the United States air and sea forces to give the Korean Government troops cover and support’ he was in effect imposing military sanctions before they had been authorized by the Security Council. The Council had to vote sanctions or put itself in the position of opposing the action taken by the United States. For governments dependent on American bounty and themselves fearful of Soviet expansion, that was too much to expect, though again Yugoslavia had the courage to vote ‘No,’ an act of principle for which it got no credit from the Soviet bloc while antagonizing the United States to which it owed its Council seat.”