[It'd be pretty much interesting to watch how the relationship between the new regime in South Korea, under its new President, Moon Jae-in - a known left-leaning campaigner for peace between the two Koreas, and the US under Trump, an acknowledged right-wing nut, unfolds in the coming days. Particularly, in view of Trump's raucous threat to "to solve North Korea" single-handed, if required". (Ref.: 'Trump vows to ‘solve North Korea’ with or without China' at <https://www.rt.com/news/383166-trump-north-korea-china/>. One may also look up, Trump's most favoured news channel: 'Trump ready to address North Korea nuclear program with or without China' at <http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/04/02/trump-ready-to-address-north-korea-nuclear-program-with-or-without-china.html>.)
Since then, Trump's language as regards China has, of course, considerably evolved. But the approach towards the reclusive North Korean regime has turned out to be one of rather nerve-shattering brinkmanship. The new South Korean President is also known to be opposed to the deployment of (American) THAAD missiles on South Korean soil. A key element in Trump administration's (intimidatory) policy vis-a-vis N. Korea and a serious friction point with it (and also China). Right at this very moment, as far as the US is concerned, the focus has shifted back to the domestic scene. (Apparently, the President is in for some trouble, even if not tumult outright.) But the foreign policy issues will not just go way, nor the North Korea.] I//III. South Korean president 'may visit Pyongyang' Updated: 6:47 am, Thursday, 11 May 2017 [Video: South Korea's new leader says he is willing to visit the North amid heightened tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions] South Korea's new leader says he is willing to visit the North amid heightened tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. Left-leaning Moon Jae-in, who was sworn in as president in the capital Seoul, backs engaging diplomatically with the North. But he faces a difficult task as Pyongyang aims to produce a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead that can attack the continental US. The North also has vast artillery forces that could target its southern rival. Mr Moon, 64, said: 'I will urgently try to solve the security crisis. If needed, I will fly straight to Washington. 'I will go to Beijing and Tokyo and, if the conditions are right, to Pyongyang also.' His comments are in contrast to recent tough talk from the Trump administration, which has not ruled out military action against the North. And it comes as the North's ambassador to the UK told Sky News his country will go ahead with its sixth nuclear test at the time and place of its leader Kim Jong Un's choosing. The South is also embroiled in a dispute with China over a controversial US missile defence system, which Beijing sees as a threat. Mr Moon and the US President agreed 'on close cooperation' to deal with the North's nuclear programme in a telephone conversation on Wednesday. Mr Trump invited Democratic party leader Mr Moon to visit the US 'as early as possible'. Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Mr Moon on his election, saying he would be willing to work with him on a basis of 'mutual understanding and mutual respect'. At home, Mr Moon will have to deal with slowing growth, soaring unemployment and public frustration over widening gaps in wealth and opportunities. He was elected following a corruption scandal that saw his conservative predecessor Park Geun-Hye impeached. Ms Park's Liberty Korea party has accused him of being a Pyongyang sympathiser and he has reportedly 'begged' for its co-operation. He won 41.1 per cent of the vote in Tuesday's election, ahead of Hong Joon-Pyo of the Liberty Korea party, on 24 per cent, and centrist Ahn Cheol-Soo on 21.4 per cent. II/III. http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/09/asia/south-korea-president-moon-north-korea/ South Korea's new president wants to reverse its North Korea policy By Pamela Boykoff and James Griffiths, CNN Updated 0818 GMT (1618 HKT) May 10, 2017 [Video] S. Korea wants fresh approach to N. Korea 02:15 Story highlights Moon Jae-in has advocated engagement with North Korea He was involved in the 'Sunshine Policy' of 1998 to 2008 Seoul (CNN)Seoul's policy on North Korea is about to get a major overhaul. Liberal reformer Moon Jae-in was sworn in Wednesday after winning a snap election to replace impeached President Park Geun-hye. Moon has advocated dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in stark contrast to Park's approach of tough sanctions and aggressive rhetoric. Speaking at his swearing in ceremony, Moon promised to "resolve the security crisis as soon as possible." "If it is necessary, I will fly immediately to Washington and also visit Beijing and Tokyo," he said. "Under the right conditions, I will also go to Pyongyang. For peace on the Korean Peninsula, I will do everything that I can do." Moon also vowed to further strengthen the alliance between South Korea and the US. While he was elected largely on concerns about corruption and the economy, North Korea loomed large after weeks of rising tensions in the region. Return to sunshine? A former special forces soldier and human rights lawyer, Moon came in for criticism during the campaign from hardline conservatives who saw him as weak on North Korea. Sunshine Policy Foreign policy of South Korea from 1998 to 2008 Policy of engagement with North Korea on economic and political issues Two South Korean Presidents traveled to Pyongyang Earned South Korean President Kim Dae-jung a Nobel Peace Prize Fewer North Korean nuclear and missile tests during this period Ultimately failed to stop North Korean nuclear program He has called for a combination of negotiations and economic cooperation alongside military and security measures. "I am confident to lead the diplomatic efforts involving multiple parties, which will lead to the complete abandonment of the North Korean nuclear program, and bring the relationship between South and North to peace, economic cooperation and mutual prosperity," Moon said in an April 25 debate. His stance has been compared to the so-called "Sunshine Policy" of the liberal governments of 1998 to 2008. By no coincidence, he was a key adviser to those administrations. During the Sunshine Policy, Seoul actively engaged Pyongyang, which led to closer relations on both sides of the border and saw two South Korean Presidents visit the North Korean capital. However, the approach ultimately failed to halt North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Song and dance in South Korean election 02:42 Weapons testing Moon, who takes office Wednesday, is unlikely to get a long honeymoon when it comes to North Korea. Experts have been predicting an imminent nuclear test, North Korea's sixth, for weeks now, as the country ramps up missile testing and saber rattling. On Sunday, Pyongyang announced it had detained a US citizen on suspicion of "hostile acts" against the regime, days after it accused Seoul and Washington of plotting to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un using "biochemical weapons." During the campaign, Moon advocated for engagement with North Korea -- particularly on the economic front -- as the best method to work towards a denuclearized Korean Peninsula. Such measures have not historically been popular with conservative administrations in the US, however President Donald Trump has vacillated between tough, militaristic talk on the North Korea issue and suggesting he could sit down with Kim himself. Detained man's wife pleads to North Korea 01:21 Washington ties The US and South Korea have a decades-long military and political alliance and Washington is by far Seoul's most important bilateral partner. Facing criticism from the right that his party is anti-American, Moon has played up Trump's apparent willingness to meet with Kim, saying he is on the "same page" as the US leader. However, one area where they firmly not in agreement is over the deployment in South Korea of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system. The caretaker administration which took over after Park's impeachment accelerated the THAAD roll-out, despite widespread criticism from Moon and others on the left, who have argued its deployment should be contingent on a vote in the country's National Assembly. Last week, Washington and Seoul announced that THAAD was partially up and running, and analysts have warned Moon may be able to do little to prevent its full deployment. But analysts warn perceptions that the US ignored South Korean input on its own security issues -- compounded when Trump called both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss North Korea, but the caretaker government in Seoul -- have left a key relationship strained before it has even begun. Washington was left in a delicate position after Park's ouster, with several high-ranking administration officials -- including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Vice President Mike Pence -- visiting Seoul to shore up the alliance amid tensions with North Korea. During their visits however, the US officials only met with caretaker President Hwang Kyo-ahn, who had already declared he would not stand to replace Park, and avoided any of her potential successors. CNN's Paula Hancocks, Taehoon Lee, and K.J. Kwon contributed reporting. III. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/may/10/south-korea-president-moon-jae-in-charts-path-with/ South Korea President Moon Jae-in charts path with Pyongyang U.S. firm against Kim’s regional aggression desires [Photo by: Lee Jin-man Newly elected South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday he was open to visiting rival North Korea under the right conditions to talk about Pyongyang's aggressive pursuit of nuclear-tipped missiles. U.S. forces remain on high alert in the region. (Associated Press)] By Carlo Munoz The Washington Times - The Washington Times - Wednesday, May 10, 2017 American forces tracking the North Korean threat in the Pacific remain on a high state of alert, as Pentagon officials wait to see the fallout from the election of a new president in South Korea who talks of better ties with North Korea and has questioned recent moves by the U.S. to bolster its defenses against Pyongyang’s nuclear and conventional arsenal. Despite hopes by newly minted liberal South Korean President Moon Jae-in to tamp down tensions between the U.S., its allies and North Korea, the American commanders in the region are staying the course on efforts to deter North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un’s nuclear ambitions. Defense Department officials say they are not considering options to retailor or adjust the deployment of a battery of long-range, anti-ballistic missile weapons, dubbed the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, to South Korea just days before Mr. Moon’s election Tuesday. “I will urgently try to solve the security crisis,” Mr. Moon, a onetime human rights lawyer and supporter of the “Sunshine Policy” of detente with the North, said Wednesday in a speech before the South Korean parliament. “If needed, I will fly straight to Washington. I will go to Beijing and Tokyo and, if the conditions are right, to Pyongyang also,” Reuters reported. Since his election, Mr. Moon has offered to broker talks between China and the U.S. on the THAAD deployment, which proved unpopular with many of the younger voters who broke heavily for Mr. Moon. President Trump inflamed opinion in Seoul by briefly suggesting South Korea should pay the estimated $1 billion to install THAAD. The Pentagon argues the anti-ballistic missile system is critical to defending the peninsula, as well as the Japanese coast, from North Korea’s expanding long-range missile capability. Beijing, however, has long opposed the weapon’s deployment so close to China’s borders. Chinese leaders claim the system could spy on its missile activity and could be used to take out its own ballistic missile sites, along with targets inside North Korea, and have been putting heavy pressure on Seoul to reverse the decision. Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated President Moon on his win, saying in a statement that Beijing was willing to work on “the development of Sino-South Korea relations” in security and diplomatic matters, state run media outlet Xinhua News reported. President Trump on Wednesday spoke by phone to congratulate Mr. Moon on his victory, also promising to improve relations between Seoul and Washington, and inviting Mr. Moon to Washington. But Mr. Moon’s offer to broker a deal on the U.S. missile system in South Korea could be seen as a back-channel effort to get the deployment — which he opposed during the campaign — off South Korean soil. Meanwhile, Beijing announced that it conducted its own missile tests near the Korean Peninsula, which many regional observers say was carried out in direct response to the THAAD deployment. Reports claim the missiles fired were DF-26 class intermediate-range missiles designed to take out warships. The test took place as the USS Carl Vinson strike group continues to make its way toward international waters off the North Korean coast. Beijing’s message with the missile test was clear. “China’s position on the issue of THAAD is clear and consistent. We hope South Korea can pay high attention to China’s concerns and handle the relevant issue in a proper way,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Wednesday. His comments come a day after Mr. Trump’s pick to be the No. 2 official at the State Department assured Congress that U.S.-Sino relations were on a positive track. “There has been some positive feedback from the Chinese [on North Korea], giving us hope” that Beijing will be able to curb the nuclear ambitions of its ally in Pyongyang, John Sullivan, a former George W. Bush-era appointee, told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing Tuesday. “We will use all the legal and policy [measures] that we have to turn the dial” on Chinese support for North Korea, Mr. Sullivan said, adding that military options also needed to be on that list. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
