The Summit in Singapore
Singapore time is 12 hours ahead of EDT. The US President and Chairman Kim are scheduled to meet at 9:00 a.m. on 12 June, Singapore time. That will be 9:00 p.m./21:00 EDT on the night of 11 June.
Korean Central News Agency = KCNA (Nork News – which is not as bad as CNN because they manage to eek some truth into their barrage of propaganda)
Let’s take a moment to examine what the Norks are saying to the masses back home.
KCNA did not list Kim’s entourage. Other reporting indicates that Kim’s team includes Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho; Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong; Party Vice-Chairmen Kim Yong Chol and Ri Su Yong and Minister of the People’s Armed Forces No Kwang Chol.
News services posted an image of Kim and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee shaking hands at the Presidential Palace. KCNA published a the report that follows.
“Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, visited the Republic of Singapore on June 10 and met its Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Presidential Palace.”
“Kim Jong Un, the respected Supreme Leader of the party, the state and the army of the DPRK, exchanged warm greetings with the prime minister, made an entry in the visitors’ book and had a friendly talk with him.
“Telling that he was very pleased to visit the magnificent and beautiful Republic of Singapore, Kim Jong Un extended his heartfelt greetings and best wishes to the government and people of Singapore on behalf of the government of the DPRK and the Korean people.”
‘He expressed deep thanks to the Singaporean government for its sincere cooperation of providing all conditions and best conveniences for the historic DPRK-U.S. summit meeting and talks.”
“Thanking the DPRK for selecting his country as the venue for the DPRK-U.S. summit talks, the prime minister of Singapore expressed expectation that the historic summit talks would offer an important occasion in achieving peace and stability of the Korean peninsula.”
“Mentioned at the talk were the issues of developing the bilateral relations in an all-round way by invigorating wide-ranging exchange and cooperation while maintaining the excellent relations and deepening the friendly relations between the two countries.”
“The talk proceeded in an amicable and friendly atmosphere.”
The extent of North Korean news coverage is appropriate to the occasion in that it is unprecedented in timeliness. North Korean security usually delays coverage of Chairman Kim at an event and at an identifiable location, but not this time. Prior to the publications on 10 June, however, North Korean media conveyed only that the summit would occur, but not when or where.
On the 10th, The North Korean Party daily, Rodong Sinmun, published an editorial that read, “Even if a country had a hostile relationship with us in the past, our attitude is that if this nation respects our autonomy… we shall seek normalization through dialogue.”
KCNA published a statement that said the two leaders would discuss a “permanent and durable peace-keeping mechanism” for the Korean Peninsula; the “denuclearization” of the Korean Peninsula and would exchange wide-ranging and profound views on establishing a new relationship.
The composition of Kim’s teams supports the importance of Kim Yong Chol as an advisor. Ri Su Yong is the man who oversaw the Singapore arrangements. General No Kwang Chol is the recently appointed Minister of the People’s Armed Forces. His presence mostly shows that Kim’s team is an all-of-North Korea team: family, Party, civilian government and armed forces.
As has been discussed (endlessly) elsewhere, there seems to be some sincerity on the part of the Norks that we have NEVER seen in the past. This doesn’t mean that there won’t be cheating on their part. It does mean that there is a paradigm shift underway and there is cause for some cautious optimism.
I expect that President Trump will leave Singapore with a peace treaty with North Korea that the US Senate, South Korea, the UN and China will need to ratify. In exchange for peace, there will be a roadmap to denuclearization and a draw-down in military presence on the DMZ. Whether that translates into an enduring peace is another matter. As we’ve discussed on this blog, North Korea is not capable of shifting from a war economy to a peace economy over night. This won’t be an end, but it might be the beginning of the end to war. I expect that Kim Jong Un will ask for a species of Marshall Plan for North Korea which USA and China will fund. Handing over nuclear weapons and demolishing the capability to make more will be the price.
Iraq
A total vote recount is now impossible. On 10 June, a fire in Baghdad burned a warehouse that was one of the sties that stored the ballots from the general election on 12 May. A number of the ballots were destroyed.
The speaker of parliament said the fire was arson and proved that the election was marred by fraud. He called for new elections. Prime Minister Abadi called the fire a plot to harm Iraqi democracy.
These sorts of antics are the mark of “banana republics” – and it’s the sort of game one would have never thought possible in the US. But when you look at the way the corrupt, sly, elite, lying, mainstream media works in the US in support of the Deep State – who knows but what it won’t happen to us. We have evidence of a slow coup supported by the FBI including fraudulent FISA warrants, spies/informants sent to infiltrate the Trump campaign, and phony Russia collusion allegations designed to undermine a legitimately elected president.
Spain
The first acts of the Socialist government. Spain’s new Socialist government said Friday, 8 June, it would lift financial controls on Catalonia as a “gesture of normalization,” but insisted an independence referendum was still “out of the question.”
The financial controls had been put in place by the previous conservative government in September 2017 to prevent the separatist regional government of Catalonia from financing a banned independence referendum. From now on, the Catalan government will simply have to provide a monthly spending report to Madrid.
The Socialists are indebted politically to the Catalans for supporting the no confidence vote against the Rajoy government. This is an important concession, but it probably will encourage the secessionists to demand more.
Fish in disturbed waters.
Before engaging your enemy's forces create confusion to weaken his perception and judgment. Do something unusual, strange, and unexpected as this will arouse the enemy's suspicion and disrupt his thinking. A distracted enemy is thus more vulnerable.
Sun Tzu
I'm suspicious.
So should they…having known one of the CTs on the Pueblo, I know what they're capable of. We're dealing with sharks, is that so much different from NYC real estate dealings, but with executions carried under color of law?
The Norks will ask for a Marshall Plan to fix the place. Everyone knows that if the Norks attack the south, the US will nuke them. The Chinese assured them of that and that while the US doesn't want to do that, they will if provoked.
North Koreans (and South Korean military) are much like dealing with Klingons (Star Trek). I was told that before I went there and that is VERY MUCH the case. If you use the Klingon thing as a guide, you won't be surprised or disturbed.
NYC real estate developers are more like Romulans.
With apologies for using science fiction characters – that's how I see it.
Banana Republic? But it was HER TURN!
The union workers betrayed her…and so did the women, who should have voted based only on plumbing, etc. Weiner was with Her and still she lost. Shocking.
I saw today that security for the Trump-Kim Singapore summit will be guarded by Gurkhas from Nepal I hear they are a solid and fierce group of solders.
NEVER mess with a Gurkha!
I've known several, and they're solid people. I'd much rather have them with me than against me.
And they'll cut you to ribbons so fast you won't even know it…..
John D. ("Valuism") comments on this blog. He is very tight with the Ghurkas. I have nothing but respect for the Nepalese men who fight and serve honorably in the Corps of Ghurkas.
I totally 2nd that.
Going to be an interesting 12 hours… 🙂
That actually makes perfect sense.
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