(November 24, 2019)North Korea's mission to the UN issued a statement last Friday claiming that the country no longer had any leeway to give way to any US demands without getting something in return.
North Korean public becoming angry at lack of progress of talks
It said also that the North Korean public was becoming more indignant at the lack of progress in talk with the US. The announcement claimed that the North had gone through all the diplomatic engagement with the US and had received in return nothing but a sense of betrayal, and continuing threats from the US for not denuclearizing.
The mission listed some what it had done to help negotiations: "North Korea has suspended nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests and returned the remains of American soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean war. The mission said Trump is “touted as a hero” for the repatriation of the remains “however, we have nothing in return. At the moment, the U.S. is obsessed with playing for time to follow through its domestic political calendar by abusing our patience and magnanimity,” the mission said. “As time goes by, the U.S. is becoming increasingly hell bent on sanctions aimed at interrupting our right to development as well as military threats to our security in pursuit of its hostile policy” against North Korea."
US officials have been calling for new meetings but North Korea is demanding concessions from the US before it will agree to any talks. So far the US has insisted on maintaining pressure such as sanctions and refuses to remove some or lessen them in order to promote talks.
The US demands even more North concessions
Some US officials are complaining that North Korea has not yet given enough steps to end its nuclear program. Many object to giving any incentive for the North to join talks. Rather they want further concessions from the North before any talks.
The two sides appear at loggerheads with neither willing to offer incentives to promote talks. For the near future it appears that both sides will be content to blame the other and to keep to their respective positions.
US and South Korean postponement of joint exercise
A recent article notes: "U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Thursday he does not regret postponing a U.S.-South Korean military exercise, even though the gesture was rejected by North Korea as not enough to restart nuclear diplomacy. The U.S. and South Korea announced Sunday they indefinitely postponed the annual Vigilant Ace aerial training as part of efforts to revive the nuclear talks. " The North however says that the joint exercises are meant to mimic an invasion of the North and need to be abandoned entirely to help towards new talks.
The US has been trying to get the South to pay many times more than it is now to pay for US troops deployed there. The joint exercises may have been postponed in part because the South is unhappy about what it is having to pay the US. The South is quite angry at the increased US demands which no doubt come from President Trump. Talks recently broke off over the issue.
Previously published in the Digital Journal
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