By So somebody tell me how this is a “breakthrough”?:
The United States warned China it would redeploy forces in Asia if Beijing failed to rein in North Korea, an Obama administration official said on Friday, as Pyongyang bowed to Seoul’s demands for crisis talks.
President Barack Obama’s warning had persuaded China — the North’s main diplomatic and economic backer — to take a harder line toward Pyongyang, and opened the door to a resumption of inter-Korean talks, possibly next month, the official said, confirming a report in The New York Times.
North Korea accepted the South’s conditions for talks on Thursday, marking a major breakthrough in the crisis on the peninsula. Such dialogue could clear the way for the resumption of the six-party aid-for-disarmament talks. [Associated Press]
Normally I say read the rest at the link, but don’t bother. This is all political theater that the media is happily going along with. This is no breakthrough, there has been talks for decades and the resumption of six-party talks to get aid for promises the North Koreans have no intention of keeping is exactly what they want. Plus only fools (possibly these AP reporters) think the North Koreans have any intention of denuclearizing.
It has been rumored for weeks that the Obama administration has been wanting to re-start talks, but it appears they have been waiting for a politically acceptable way of doing it because this is what the North Koreans have been demanding. So now they have created this narrative of getting tough with the Chinese and China giving into US pressure instead of creating the appearance of the US giving into the North Koreans. This is of course all nonsense, but the Chinese are going along with it simply because they want talks restarted as well. So basically everyone is getting what they wanted with the resumption of talks with the full understanding nothing is going to come from it. And people wonder why the North Koreans create provocations; clearly because it always works.
1:03 am on January 22nd, 2011 1
Anytime I read any "story" about North Korea 'talking', I always flashback to August 18th, 1976. At the Security Officers Meeting, called right after they killed Capt. Bonifas and Lt. Barrett with axes, they had the gall to actually bring the bloody axes to the meeting.
After listening to Capt. Shirron make his statement about the unprovoked attack by over 30 KPA guards against 11 UNC guards and officers, they held up one of the axes and said something like "Your people dropped these, and our guards merely picked them up so you couldn't use them against us. Our guards were simply standing there holding the axes, and your two officers repeatedly ran them until they died".
As difficult as it is, I think I'd actually believe Obama before anything from North Korea.
7:30 am on January 22nd, 2011 2
I doubt that Clinton and Obama will try to give North Korea aid for talks. And if they propose it, do you think Ros-Lehtinen and Boehner will approve?
10:16 am on January 22nd, 2011 3
Bulla bulla, smoke and mirrors, all this prattle. When, since July 27, 1953, has any of this high level talk led to anything useful regarding security on the Korean peninsula?
4:11 pm on January 22nd, 2011 4
Glans #2. A major point to consider is that we are getting closer to the 2012 presidential race & presumably President Obama will run for re-election. No leader running for re-election was to be perceived as weak so nobody will propose aid to NK. After the appeasement by the former Korean administration failed to change NK behavior at all & with the attacks on the Cheonan & the artillery bombardment I think the NK have really stepped on their Richards. It's fine to talk but I really doubt that anything useful with come out of it. Even if the NK agree to something, if they get PO'd about one thing or the other they wont follow the agreement anyway.
9:04 pm on January 22nd, 2011 5
Mmm, that picture is dated, I think. Last time I went to the JSA, there were no North Korean soldiers in sight. Instead, they had surveillance cameras pointed South everywhere.
12:37 am on January 23rd, 2011 6
After the nancy-boy act the President gave for the PRC leader, KJI&Co might believe they can get the US to bail out their economy, build their infrastructure, fill their gas tanks and make their house payments…
5:29 am on January 23rd, 2011 7
Teadrinker #5, The North Korean authorities are probably afraid that some of their soldiers will defect, lol.
11:32 am on January 23rd, 2011 8
#7,
You're joking, but that's probably it.
4:02 am on July 25th, 2011 9
Hillary Clinton has announced that Kim Kae Gwan will visit New York. He’s North Korea’s vice-foreign minister; his visit to could lead to resumption of the six-party talks. Chico Harlan’s story in the Washington Post quotes Hillary:
“We are open to talks with North Korea, but we do not intend to reward the North just for returning to the table,” she said in a statement. “We will not give them anything new for actions they have already agreed to take. And we have no appetite for pursuing protracted negotiations that will only lead us right back to where we have already been.”