North Korean Prisoners Released; Is This a Hopeful Sign?
Some folks might have wondered why Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was not on hand for Donald Trump’s recent blockbuster announcement. That’s when the president stated that he was pulling the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear weapons deal.
As it turned out, Pompeo was involved in a very important mission at the time. He was attempting to secure the release of three Americans being held prisoner in North Korea.
Fortunately, he succeeded. They are Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak-song and Kim Sang Duk. And they are all reportedly in good health.
The latter two had been accused of committing “hostile acts” while working at a North Korean university. The first was accused of being a South Korean spy.
U.S.-North Korea Summit on Horizon
A statement from the three read: “We would like to express our deep appreciation to the United States government, President Trump, Secretary Pompeo and the people of the United States for bringing us home.”
Pompeo said he was “thrilled to have them back.” And while he was in North Korea, he put the wheels in motion for a summit where Trump and Kim Jong-un will meet. We’re still waiting to hear details about the summit, including when and where it will be held. But we know it will be the first-ever meeting between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader.
And in the meantime, we have a pretty good idea about what both sides will be hoping to gain from this pow-wow.
Charges: Espionage and Hostile Acts
Trump said he “appreciates Kim Jong-un’s action to release these three American citizens and views this as a gesture of goodwill.”
He continued: “All Americans look forward to welcoming them home and to seeing them reunited with their loved ones.”
Kim Dong Chul had been in custody since 2015. He was convicted of espionage the following year and sentenced to 10 years of hard labor.
Kim Hak-song and Kim Sang Duk were arrested for their “hostile acts” in April and May 2017, respectively. They had been working at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. It’s the only privately-run university in the North Korean capital.
Trio Avoids Warmbier Fate
Fortunately, all three of the prisoners are said to be in good health.
That’s a far cry from what was experienced by a previous American prisoner, Otto Warmbier who was released by North Korea last year and died shortly after. His parents said he had been tortured. A coroner concluded that he had extensive brain damage.
Warmbier had been convicted of trying to steal a propaganda poster while on a trip to North Korea in 2016.
Summit Goals Are Pretty Clear
Trump wants North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to end his nuclear ambitions. That will be Trump’s focus during the summit.
Kim Jong-un wants to end the sanctions that are crippling his country’s economy. And he wants to normalize relations between his country, the U.S. and South Korea.
Is there any chance the wishes of Trump, age 71, and Kim Jong-un, age 34, will both be fulfilled? Considering how much animosity has existed between the two men, it seems like that would be a long shot.
But perhaps enough progress can be made to stop the hostile threats that have been issued. And that have made a lot of people nervous.
What Do You Predict?
We don’t know what will come out of the summit. North Korea may decide to cooperate. Or Kim Jong-un may leave in a huff and speed up his nuclear program.
It’s all up in the air right now.
What do you think? Do you believe the summit will change anything? Or will it be business as usual after Kim Jong-un goes home?
Please leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts. We’d love to hear from you about this topic.
I think President Trump should be FORBIDDEN to speak on behalf of the United States. He is a moron and idiot who certainly does not speak for me or my family and in my opinion is as dangerous as that idiot the runs North Korea.
If Trump re-unites North and South Korea he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.
Somewhere I read Kim Jong Un is very sick. Don’t have any corroboration of this so will treat it as an unsubstantiated rumor until proved otherwise.
….Our FREE PRESS is “enshrined in the Constitution.” That does NOT mean the
Press is only FREE TO AGREE with the reigning Administration….(.(whoever recently voted into office.) Our forebears said, “I disagree with you absolutely BUT WILL DEFEND TO THE DEATH… YOUR RIGHT SO TO DO .”.’ Hope I have that mostly right. Civil discourse….open , rational minds to follow………..LOGIC, allowed.
Two megalomaniacs battling each other,not good for anyone
Kim Jong Un is not sincere about denuclearization. If he were there would not be any need for negotiation he knows he can simply surrender his weapons and that will end the US sanctions and no one has to fire a shot. He wants to have the US out of South Korea so he can (he thinks) simply roll into the south and take it under the guise of reunification. His family has been at war with us since 1950, and the only thing that saved their bacon back then was Chinese intervention under Mao who basically sent hordes of poorly equipped Chinese to overwhelm the much smaller UN forces. His plan worked to a point as the war never ended but a truce has been in place for decades, while the North has violated it on a consistent basis by force of arms many times.
The recent complaints of Kim objecting to annual scheduled joint exercises between the US and South Korea is a ploy intended to throw a wrench into the planned summit. Kim never intends to go through with all of his proclamations and promises for peace – you cannot deal with a person who offers his hand in friendship and then holds a dagger behind his back. He and the majority of the people of North Korea have been brainwashed to believe they can prevail in a test of combat with us, and before President Trump became Commander in Chief that was probably an accurate assessment because we as a nation seem to lake the spine to face the ugly truth that the North Koreans would be happy to launch a devastating nuclear attack on the US and the only logical reason for him not to press the attack is the fact it would end him and unfortunately most of North Korea.
Of course China would want us to believe that they would mount an armed response but they know that if they did much of China would suffer the same fate. The same is true of Russia or any other nuclear armed power that would attack the United States in response to a retaliatory strike on North Korea, or even a non-nuclear operation to rid him, (Kim Jong Un), of the weapons he has and his ability to produce more, not to mention what his personal fate would be.
My Parents were Korean War veterans, I grew up during the Cold War and served in the military during the Vietnam War. Yes, I do have a bias toward the US military and that is because I have witnessed what this kind of military capability can render upon an enemy. Suffice it to say it is much better to be a friend of the US than to be a foe. Despite what you read, see and hear about our military capability, it is important to understand that our military capability is far and away greater than any other nation on the Earth. We are the country everyone in trouble turns to when the situation gets ugly. Unfortunately, we have not always responded to the cries for help, and this was especially true of the past 8 year administration of President Barack Hussein Obama. He set back international relations and even promoted racial tensions in this country during his tenure in the White House and that IS his legacy, a legacy of impotence on the world stage that encouraged Russia to take Crimea shortly after the Sochi Olympic Games, and then subsequently their threatening actions in Ukraine. He managed to offend the British, one of our longest standing allies, and aligned himself with every muslim country on Earth by genuflecting and bowing to them at photo ops when on tour to their capitals. There isn’t one redeeming accomplishment that he was responsible for, but there are many that he will never be able to deny.
The problems with North Korea, China, Russia, Iran, (the middle east in general), and the racial grievance industry here at home can all be attributed to this man. He set back race relations 50 years and was influential in promoting animosity between the races because I believe he is himself a race focused individual. Add to that his administration actively spying on the Trump Presidential Campaign, running the resist movement after he left office, and his continuing comments that have been aimed at stirring up dissent against the Trump White House.
In my considered opinion, we can only keep denying him and his political allies. They are the reason for many of the current international issues and for domestic unrest as well.
That is the legacy of Obama.
I am actually hopeful. I think he was so sure he had us scared and when Trump sort of said ‘well, we are ready to respond’ I think KJ wondered if he is ready. His soldiers look so weak and thin. It might be a chance to back down with dignity after all the spouting off. That’s my HOPE anyway.
Everyone applauds an attempt to defuse North Korea. That said, this complicated problem cannot be executed “from the hip.” Mr Trump has little or no in put from the KNOWLEDGABLE diplomats who work out details , preventing the myriad chuck-holes of disaster. Mr. Kim seems to have different definitions of nuclear reduction/removals than do we. . There is no “fall back” position on “fall-out.” The high count death of Southern Korea citizens , radiation clouds drifting thru the northern hemisphere….seem not to be addressed. “We’ll see what happens….” is not reassuring to me. I will consider us VERY LUCKY to get thru this without a WAR. However much one agrees with a desire to have the securities and living standards of our previous time……a total amateur is not reassuring. I know of NO job that does not required experience and learning……that takes time. A high roller running a Mom n Pop operation…..by comparison to an ENORMOUSLY COMPLICATED government… and persists in his pre-presidential opinions is a DANGER to us all. I AM A LIFELONG REPUBLICAN….FYI. Buchanan predicted years ago that our population of citizens were going to CHANGE….and the reasons why. I was for slowing and limiting immigration for YEARS until assimilation took place…..it is too late now. (In my opinion).
KNOCKING DOWN OUR FBI AND CIA, DOJ, etc does NOT REASSURE ME. I FEEL ANXIETY EVERY DAY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE……
This President LIES
to us daily…..and has many inferior folk around him…. does he think we cannot remember what he said yesterday or a few hours ago? I still read, so perhaps the TV -ONLY generation does not get a more complete picture. LOGIC goes down with only a religiosity in politics…..blind following will destroy our country. We the people have always been able to THINK…..now zero evidence and just a REPEAT, REPEAT , REPEAT of phrases and UNEXPLORED “TRUTHS.”….or buried ones…. frightens me. I think we are on the edge of needing our PATRIOT supplies.
UNDERMINING LAW ENFORCEMENT
lends more un-easiness. COUNTRY OVER POLITICS. ….Our future and then our poor young people are that for which I grieve. All those years of hard work and FOLLOWING THE RULES are discarded…..including all those generations who toiled/fought to be a part and take part in our nation….. TOSSED. I am so glad my youth is behind me. Courage to those who remain. God Bless America…..she needs it.
Clearly, Kim Jong-un already has all the nuclear warheads he wants, AND the rockets to deliver them to the US, or he would NOT have offered to negotiate to stop his program. He has also reneged on the offer after South Korea/US military maneuvers resumed. Two psychopaths negotiating over nuclear warheads will never be a good thing…
Trump will patiently hear Rocketman out, whose DEMANDS will be outrageous. Trump will purse his lips with half a nod, stand, adjust his suit & tie, then walk out without a word & return home. Sanctions will continue, maybe even ramped up. Trump will play hardball until “R” sees reason. If China continues to interfere behind the scenes while resisting following the sanctions Trump may have a little “talk” with Xi. Bottom line, Trump will get what we need, sooner or later.
Hopefully there will be a meeting between these two leaders. I find it extremely stupid to be holding joint military exercises with South Korea at this juncture.
Another huge force that will come to play in the US Nk situation is the world catastrophic event that has begun that will do great harm to all areas of the earth. It is projected to kill off over 40% of the people living the earth and nobody is warning people about it. Look up Grand Solar Minimum and John L Casey.
North Korea has not been trustworthy in the past and the US has not been any better. For either to agree, they will both have to have mutual protection elements that can be enforced. We are on a very rough, level playing field. It is like having to come up with a brand new set of rules.
Using his actions in the past as proof that all he wishes to gain from the summit is time and money . Bargaining in bad faith has brought money and food to his badly impoverished country . Do more of same .
Yes. I believe that N. Korea will stop nuclear or as far as we will know. But if business doesn’t please them then they will continue with nuclear weapons.
I believe N.Korea will have a hard line policy now that Trump has reneged on the Iran agreement. Trust is what holds agreements together and Trump has shown he can’t be trusted. GOOD LUCK !!
Floyd, You must remember one thing China controls North Korea and President Xi has told Kim to stop the nuclear testing. The NORKOs have already begun removing the electric cable from tunnels at the nuke test sites. This is a positive development.
I think North Korea will stop the nuclear advancements and Trump will lift the sanations that is hurting North Koreans and their economy. Then everybody will live happily ever after
I am excited that our President got this far in a summit meeting. As far as trusting the other parties is another matter…enemies are ever present even in our country, so we look to God to direct out paths