Trump officials urge patience on North Korea

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

The Trump administration is urging patience on North Korea amid a flurry of developments this week that appear to offer conflicting portraits of the United States's diplomatic efforts.

President Trump on Friday lauded the North's return of service members' remains from the Korean War, thanking North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for "keeping his word."

The administration also touted the beginning of the destruction of a missile engine testing site as Pyongyang living up to the commitments Kim made at last months's summit in Singapore.


And while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo admitted to senators this week that North Korea is still producing the material necessary to make nuclear bombs, experts say that is something to be expected – and not necessarily a sign of faltering diplomacy – as bilateral talks develop.

“North Korea never pledged to immediately halt all activities,” said Jenny Town, a research analyst and managing director at U.S.-based North Korea monitor 38 North.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/399276-trump-officials-urge-patience-on-north-korea

Trying to make chicken soup out of chicken shit.

[Iliyah]

1. UGH.

What about the remains of the American Soldiers?

[notdarkyet]

3. I heard that's iffy to. On one station that said the past exchange for remains turned out not

To be Americans. I think testing was done. The amount we gave North Korea for the. Exchange was over 700 thou.

[kacekwl]

2. That's not what traitor trump said.

He said we could all sleep better because blah blah blah.

[soryang]

4. Jenny Town tends to be more even handed than most

Klinger inevitably views everything in the worst possible light. You're not going to make any money in the national security business telling people it may be time to end the Korean war, or any other war for that matter.

The negative assessments from "intelligence analysts" reportedly came out of DIA. Caveats on or uncertainty in evaluation of satellite imagery analysis from private sources are rarely acknowledged in the press.

The hardliners are back in charge, and Pompeo is running for cover with the one sided ultimatum again, which is not likely to be successful. S. Korean reporters caught Lambert from the Asia desk of the State, at the airport where he said, the South Koreans are "getting too far out in front" with their economic plans for N.Korea, and there will be no relaxation of sanctions until full denuclearization.

It has been reported in South Korea media, that China apparently will ignore the sanctions and enable N.Korea completion of the dormant "new bridge" from Sinuiju to Dandong China. Foreign Minister Kang of S.Korea received approval for a waiver of sanctions for expenditures to reunite Korean families separated by the war to meet again at Kumgansan resort in N.Korea. South Korean plans for opening the liason office at the former joint industrial zone at Kaseong are reportedly on track for mid August. The status of the waiver request is uncertain. The request by S.Korean to equip the North Korean olympic ski team with equipment was denied.
Another Korea times translation said that an exemption for a "military communications line" had previously been granted. It's not clear that this is related to the current request to enable military commanders from both countries to communicate to mitigate potential incidents or provocations from escalating, or if it concerns the West Sea Communications line which was opened earlier.