USA & No Korea Summit LIVE THREAD

[thackney]

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
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/joint-statement-president-donald-j-trump-united-states-america-chairman-kim-jong-un-democratic-peoples-republic-korea-singapore-summit/
June 12, 2018

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 toward 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 in overcoming decades of tensions and hostilities between the two countries and for the opening up 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.

DONALD J. TRUMP
President of the United States of America

KIM JONG UN
Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

June 12, 2018
Sentosa Island
Singapore

[driftdiver]

Its a very positive step towards peace.

[Concerned]

So, did anything actually happen, or is this whole thread fluff?

Fluff.  Trump said that Kim "reaffirmed" his commitment to denuclearization.     Kim got a huge propaganda win by sitting down with the US President, and we get to cancel war games with South Korea.

[Oceander]

So just a little garden variety diplomatic kabuki theater. Oh well. 

[SZonian]

Boy, this sure sounds familiar.

October 24, 2000

Only a few months ago, communist North Korea's missile programme and alleged nuclear weapons ambitions were being cited as the prime justification for the US embarking on a hugely expensive and controversial anti-missile defence system.

Now, Mr Albright is clinking glasses with Kim Jong-il and applauding a mass performance of synchronised praise for the Dear Leader, as he is officially called.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/988725.stm




At least we still have the great visuals.

@edpc   
Your selective reading is noted, again...I said this as the caveat; "...if in the end, an accord is reached."

And Albright wasn't any kind of leader either.

[Restored]

Fluff.  Trump said that Kim "reaffirmed" his commitment to denuclearization.     Kim got a huge propaganda win by sitting down with the US President, and we get to cancel war games with South Korea.

If you had said to me "Trump is the guy to finally bring peace to Korea", I would have called you "a nut". It's historic even if we get nothing because we already have nothing. If Kim gets some gravitas, it means nothing to us. If Trump goes in and builds 10 casinos, it's better than what we have now. There is no "lose" in this situation. Everyone but Putin wants this. Win-win.

[thackney]

Boy, this sure sounds familiar.

October 24, 2000

Only a few months ago, communist North Korea's missile programme and alleged nuclear weapons ambitions were being cited as the prime justification for the US embarking on a hugely expensive and controversial anti-missile defence system.

Now, Mr Albright is clinking glasses with Kim Jong-il and applauding a mass performance of synchronised praise for the Dear Leader, as he is officially called.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/988725.stm




At least we still have the great visuals.

It is familiar.  The difference needs to be how it goes forward.

In the past, when the agreements were discarded with additional nuclear weapons tests, what was the consequences?

What will they be going forward from here?

[edpc]

So just a little garden variety diplomatic kabuki theater. Oh well.

Even better.  It was carnival show stagecraft.

[thackney]

If you had said to me "Trump is the guy to finally bring peace to Korea", I would have called you "a nut". It's historic even if we get nothing because we already have nothing. If Kim gets some gravitas, it means nothing to us. If Trump goes in and builds 10 casinos, it's better than what we have now. There is no "lose" in this situation. Everyone but Putin wants this. Win-win.

Achieving the same failures of the past with similar actions of the past is hardly historic.  There is certainly "lose" if President Trump shows no consequences to breaking this "letter of intent".  It would undermine any negotiation with other regimes.

[edpc]

Your selective reading is noted, again...I said this as the caveat; "...if in the end, an accord is reached."

And Albright wasn't any kind of leader either.

That moment was in October, 2000.  At that point, the signed Agreed Framework deal had been in place for 6 years.  How did that work out?

[Concerned]

If you had said to me "Trump is the guy to finally bring peace to Korea", I would have called you "a nut". It's historic even if we get nothing because we already have nothing. If Kim gets some gravitas, it means nothing to us. If Trump goes in and builds 10 casinos, it's better than what we have now. There is no "lose" in this situation. Everyone but Putin wants this. Win-win.

Pompeo said that the goal was “irreversible” and “verifiable” denuclearization.  We certainly didn’t get that as documented in the joint statement issued by the two leaders, and I don’t think we ever will.  "If" we eventually get that irreversible and verifiable denuclearization, I'll certainly celebrate it, but the actual accomplishments from THIS summit look to me to be heavily in Kim's favor.  JMO.

[Restored]

Because no North Korean leader has ever shaken hands with an American President. The North Koreans are taught from birth to hate America. All their movies feature Americans as the enemy. This has been going on for 60+ years. That's why Kim's pen got swapped at the last minute. They were worried he would be poisoned.
No politician would risk this summit.

I'm sure the nukes and rockets are already in Iran and Kim got paid off.

[LauraTXNM]

The SK and Japanese are not going to be happy.  Ending the military readiness exercises?  No movement on the Japanese kidnapped?

[driftdiver]

@edpc   
Your selective reading is noted, again...I said this as the caveat; "...if in the end, an accord is reached."

And Albright wasn't any kind of leader either.

@SZonian
There is an essential difference between that meeting and this one.   Clinton, Bush, and Obama all used appeasement and weakness as a bargaining approach.  It failed miserably.

According to all reports the US has given nothing to NK this time and has not even dropped the sanctions.   

[driftdiver]

If you had said to me "Trump is the guy to finally bring peace to Korea", I would have called you "a nut". It's historic even if we get nothing because we already have nothing. If Kim gets some gravitas, it means nothing to us. If Trump goes in and builds 10 casinos, it's better than what we have now. There is no "lose" in this situation. Everyone but Putin wants this. Win-win.

@Restored
Kim was educated in Switzerland and probably doesn't like living in NK.   He probably also sees the old guard there as a threat to him personally.

Putin probably wants it as he could get more cheap labor from NK and probably some of their natural resources.  Of course he doesn't want to make America look good so he'll pretend to be against it.

Many people do not want this to happen; not because they don't want peace but because they want peace less then they want Trump to fail.   The left here in the US including the Democrats, some of the GOP, and of course some of the NTs.

[driftdiver]

The SK and Japanese are not going to be happy.  Ending the military readiness exercises?  No movement on the Japanese kidnapped?

@LauraTXNM
The South Koreans aren't happy because the US excluded them from this meeting.   Based on their news reports they are quite happy with the outcome of the meeting though.

As for the military exercises, they have their own exercises and a competent military.   They want peace and an end to the war.

[Jazzhead]

So just a little garden variety diplomatic kabuki theater. Oh well.

Garden variety?  Try of the historic variety.

Sure, it's a photo op,  and the joint statement is full of platitudes and promises of a most general variety.   But the purpose of first steps like these are to build a foundation for future trust.   

Our two nations have been, technically, at war since before I was born.   And that photo op and joint statement will,  for the first time, be shown to the North Korean people.   Once a genie is let out of bottle . . .

And as others have pointed out,  there IS something very tangible and valuable in this for North Korea if it gives up its nukes, and that is the Pacific rim economic miracle that has transformed Korea to the south.  My son just bought his first new car - a Hyundai.   South Korea has the prestige and economic wherewithal that the NORKs can only dream about.   

I don't have blinders on about Little Kim and his murderous regime.   Its alliances with Iran and other bad actors can be seen as manifestations of evil, but, it can also be said,  of its isolation.   The NORKs do act rationally in a perverse and paranoid sort of way.   It is time to see whether they - and we - can take yes for an answer.   

[aligncare]

Even better.  It was carnival show stagecraft.

This coming off your two-year long prediction streak being 100 percent wrong about Donald Trump.

But, go ahead, keep it up, it’s been a blast watching NeverTrumpers contort without the slightest bit of contrition or nod towards reality. But I gotta say, you and @Oceander certainly rack up points for chutzpah. That’s something at least.

[edpc]

Many people do not want this to happen; not because they don't want peace but because they want peace less then they want Trump to fail.   The left here in the US including the Democrats, some of the GOP, and of course some of the NTs.

Some are also massively distrustful of blatantly dishonest people.  We understand that is a huge character flaw, but we’re working on it.   

[Jazzhead]

Many people do not want this to happen; not because they don't want peace but because they want peace less then they want Trump to fail.   The left here in the US including the Democrats, some of the GOP, and of course some of the NTs.

Agreed.  Peace (and prosperity), if it can be achieved, means another four years.   The thought drives some folks nuts.   

[driftdiver]

Some are also massively distrustful of blatantly dishonest people.  We understand that is a huge character flaw, but we’re working on it.   

@edpc
So once again I'll ask you; what is your alternative?

We're listening.

[kevindavis007]

@edpc
So once again I'll ask you; what is your alternative?

We're listening.

How about they give up their nuclear program and we don't throw our Allies (South Korea and Japan) under the bus.

[corbe]

              Definitely could use less Bread and Circuses

[skeeter]

How about they give up their nuclear program and we don't throw our Allies (South Korea and Japan) under the bus.

You guys should stop. Its a bad look.

[Oceander]

This coming off your two-year long prediction streak being 100 percent wrong about Donald Trump.

But, go ahead, keep it up, it’s been a blast watching NeverTrumpers contort without the slightest bit of contrition or nod towards reality. But I gotta say, you and @Oceander certainly rack up points for chutzpah. That’s something at least.

So what concrete, verifiable actions were taken?  What did NK agree to do in concrete, verifiable terms?