North Korea Snubs Mike Pompeo's Efforts at Diplomacy

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to N. Korea this week to underscore the Trump administration's frustration with reports that instead of making plans to denuclearize that they were actually expanding their nuclear capabilities.

After two days of talks with high ranking officials, Pompeo described negotiations as “productive,” conducted “in good faith” and that “a great deal of progress” had been made in some areas."

Associated Press: However, within a few hours, N. Korea issued a statement describing the talks as “regrettable” and that the outcome of the negotiations was “very concerning” because it has led to a “dangerous phase that might rattle our willingness for denuclearization that had been firm.”

Kim's argument is that N. Korea is willing to negotiate in good faith, but that the US is bullying it into making unilateral concessions that will harm the people of N. Korea. In other words, Kim won't even begin to reduce his nation's nuclear capacity without substantial concessions from Washington beyond what Trump [unwisely] agreed to last month. Kim still believes that President Trump needs a deal more than he does.

#nkorea #InternationalRelations