2LT International News

PYONGYANG, North Korea – Less than three months after the U.S. and North Korea touted a historic breakthrough and engaged in diplomacy after years of increasingly hostile ties, talks seem to have come to a standstill.

The U.S. President Donald Trump, who met the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June this year, has repeatedly touted the success of the meeting, at the end of which, the two countries signed a non-binding agreement.

While the North Korean leader “reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” the U.S. President, in exchange, agreed to “provide security guarantees” to Pyongyang.

Since then, the U.S. has cancelled the ‘provocative’ joint military drills it stages along with South Korea – a demand the North has made several times but has failed to achieve for over a decade now. 

North Korea meanwhile has tried to placate Washington, by partially delivering on its vow to repatriate remains of U.S. soldiers killed in the Korean war, suspending its nuclear and missile tests.

The country has also demolished its underground nuclear test site and has torn down a missile engine test site.

In the meantime, both the countries have been engaged in various rounds of talks over achieving the main motive of denuclearization but have hit several hurdles.

The U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo has been seeking substantial steps towards rapid denuclearization including a declaration by Pyongyang of all its nuclear assets, North Korea has refused to move any further before Washington declares an end to the Korean War and provides relief from crippling sanctions. 

North Korea has also slammed Washington for its “gangster-like” and “unilateral” demands for the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling of Pyongyang’s atomic arsenal.

U.S. changes tracks

Last week, in an abrupt reversal of stance, after Pompeo announced plans to make his fourth visit to North Korea next week – Trump took to Twitter to call off the plans. 

In his announcement last week, Pompeo had stated that he will head to Pyongyang next week with Stephen Biegun, a retiring Ford executive and his newly appointed special envoy for North Korea.

Pompeo, who was not expected to meet the North Korean leader during the visit, said he was headed to Pyongyang for the next stage of talks.

He stressed that the trip was part of America’s efforts to ensure the “final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea.”

A day later, Trump took to Twitter and abruptly scraped Pompeo’s planned visit, citing the lack of progress over denuclearization.

Trump wrote on Twitter, “I have asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo not to go to North Korea, at this time, because I feel we are not making sufficient progress with respect to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

In his sudden announcement, Trump also took a swipe at China over efforts to disarm the nuclear nation, at it remains engaged in a trade war with the country. 

Trump wrote, “Additionally, because of our much tougher Trading stance with China, I do not believe they are helping with the process of denuclearization as they once were (despite the UN Sanctions which are in place).”

Later, Trump sent out another tweet, in which he added that Pompeo would still head to North Korea “in the near future,” and pointed out that this would likely occur when the U.S.-China trading relationship is “resolved.”

He added, “In the meantime, I would like to send my warmest regards and respect to Chairman Kim. I look forward to seeing him soon!”

Trump’s statement came as a dramatic reversal of the optimistic stance he has taken ever since his meeting with Kim Jong Un ended.

In June, after returning from the Singapore meeting, Trump declared on Twitter, “North Korea was no longer a nuclear threat.”

However, in the weeks that followed activists, monitors and even some U.S. officials have revealed evidence of Pyongyang’s deceit – in the form of satellite images that show activity at its nuclear facilities.

Further, the UN’s nuclear agency (IAEA) announced in a report last week that North Korea is continuing with its nuclear programme.

Following Trump’s statement on Twitter, China called the U.S. President’s comments “irresponsible,” and expressed “serious concern.”

Seeds of suspicion 

Following Trump’s abrupt decision to call off Pompeo’s trip, North Korea has grown increasingly suspicious about U.S. intentions – as evidenced in reports in its state media. 

On Sunday, North Korea’s state-controlled Rodong Sinmun newspaper accused the U.S. of “double-dealing” and “hatching a criminal plot” against Pyongyang.

In its shocking accusation, the newspaper cited a South Korean media outlet and said U.S. special units based in Japan were staging an air drill aimed at “the infiltration into Pyongyang.”

The paper then added, “Such acts prove that the U.S. is hatching a criminal plot to unleash a war against the DPRK and commit a crime which deserves merciless divine punishment in case the U.S. fails in the scenario of the DPRK’s unjust and brigandish denuclearization first.”

Adding, “We cannot but take a serious note of the double-dealing attitudes of the U.S. as it is busy staging secret drills involving man-killing special units while having a dialogue with a smile on its face.”

Without mentioning anything about the Pompeo visit, the editorial in Rodong Sinmun urged Washington to give up the “pointless military gamble” and implement the Singapore agreement.

Subsequently, a spokesman at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul said he had no information on the drill alleged in the newspaper.