North Korea says denuclearization pledge not result of U.S.-led sanctions

[Rhiannon12866]

Source: Reuters

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Sunday its intention to denuclearize, unveiled at a historic inter-Korean summit, was not the result of U.S.-led sanctions and pressure, warning the United States not to mislead public opinion.

Impoverished North Korea has been hit by a series of U.N. and U.S. sanctions in recent years in a bid to rein in its nuclear and missile programs.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in vowed “complete denuclearization” of the Korean peninsula in the first inter-Korean summit in more than a decade on April 27, but the declaration did not include concrete steps to reach that goal.

The North’s official KCNA news agency said Washington was “misleading public opinion” by claiming the denuclearization pledge was the result of sanctions and other pressure.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-southkorea/north-korea-says-denuclearization-pledge-not-result-of-u-s-led-sanctions-idUSKBN1I703M

[area51]

1. Quelle surprise.

Not.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. Not at all, but I guess it needs to be said for the 3 people left who don't realize Trump lies

[Corgigal]

3. I don't trust a thing this asshole says,

nor our president. World doesn't deserve either of them.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. That's an excellent point

And I keep thinking back to the last time we negotiated successfully with North Korea - in 1994 Jimmy Carter, with his background in nuclear engineering and his gift for diplomacy, brokered a successful deal with Kim Jong-un's grandfather on behalf of the Clinton administration and was continued with his father, Kim Jong-il, and SoS Madeline Albright. It held until 2002 after George W Bush*'s "Axis of Evil" proclamation. Diplomacy is the key and neither of these players have a clue...

[Thekaspervote]

5. Oh shucks! I just knew the noebel counsel was going to crown orange man.. too bad

[Rhiannon12866]

7. He thinks he deserves everything - just by existing

And even North Korea has his number by now - and won't let him take credit!

[Cha]

6. That won't stop trumputin LAIRS.. but

good to hear this from NK.. Imagine believing NK over an American potus? But, he was rigged in and it's trump.. so anything that comes out of his mouth is an automatic LIE.

[Rhiannon12866]

8. I know, these sure are bizarre times!

Can you imagine any other POTUS - of either party - getting away with attacks on everyone, let alone constant lies?? Jimmy Carter promised to always tell the truth and the press never left him alone. And George HW Bush was pilloried because he didn't know the price of a loaf of bread!

[JI7]

9. "but the declaration did not include concrete steps to reach that goal"

so it would be the opposite of the iran deal.

[Rhiannon12866]

10. We can hope that they continue to meet

Perhaps not always the leaders, but their emissaries. And inspections are paramount - which South Korea has to insist on. And that John Bolton doesn't torpedo the relationship we have with South Korea.

[Silver Gaia]

11. I keep thinking the genesis of this

was during the Winter Olympics. The North and South Korean leaders saw their people working together as unified, happy Korean teams. They liked it, and could see that their people liked it. I could see it in their faces, in their demeanor. I thought at the time that it might spark something good for them. There's more to it than just this, but I could see the possibilities welling up during that time of good will. My point is that Trump's ridiculous posturing and rhetoric had nothing to do with this. He's such an idiot.

[Mike Nelson]

12. Kim Jong Un...

...will not give up his nukes. He's lying.

[paleotn]

16. Agree.

From his point of view, he'd be crazy to do so. Nukes are the ultimate (pardon the pun) trump card when it comes to warding off regime change.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

13. Trump will take credit for any North Korea and South Korea agreement, no matter what they say.

He will also claim that no other president in the history of the United States could have pulled it off, because they weren't the Great Negotiator.

After he claimed credit for the success of the Olympics, nothing surprises me anymore about this egomaniac. He probably would have claimed credit for the Paralympics, but it was too uncomfortable for him to watch.

[SWBTATTReg]

14. now just watch...RUMP will get pissed off that NK said that he ...

had nothing to do w/ the so called realignment of SK and NK (supposedly). Now RUMP will attempt to sabotage this whole effort because he didn't get any credit.

NK probably won't even want to meet w/ RUMP being that RUMP is a complete and utter fool and fill in the blank!

[djacq]

15. Never imagined thanking NK for speaking the truth

[paleotn]

17. And the agreement in principle begins to unravel....

Dumpster will pitch a fit over this. Harsh rhetoric will escalate on both sides, as Kim goads Dumpster into more crazy talk. Then Kim dumps the whole idea of a deal, pointing at Dumpster as the one who fucked it up for everyone. Dumpster and the US are humiliated on the world stage and our relationship with SK is further damaged.

And you thought Kim was serious? No, it was a trap all along.