President Donald Trump got played by North Korea, which is not a surprise, but it was confirmed once and for all on Wednesday when North Korea demanded the United States remove troops and nuclear weapons from the entire region as a pre-condition to denuclearization.
Trump has been insisting since his Singapore summit with Kim Jong Un earlier this year that North Korea is going to give up their nuclear weapons.
But North Korea exposed Trump as a liar this week by rejecting denuclearization unless the United States dismantles its own nuclear forces in South Korea and Japan, and remove its troop presence from the region.
“The United States must now recognize the accurate meaning of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and especially, must study geography,” the Korean Central News Agency (KNCA) said on behalf of the North Korean government, according to the Associated Press. “When we talk about the Korean Peninsula, it includes the territory of our republic and also the entire region of (South Korea) where the United States has placed its invasive force, including nuclear weapons. When we talk about the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, it means the removal of all sources of nuclear threat, not only from the South and North but also from areas neighboring the Korean Peninsula.”
“If we unilaterally give up our nuclear weapons without any security assurance despite being first on the U.S. list of targets for pre-emptive nuclear strikes, that wouldn’t be denuclearization — it would rather be a creation of a defenseless state where the balance in nuclear strategic strength is destroyed and the crisis of a nuclear war is brought forth,” the KCNA continued. “The corresponding measures we have asked the United States to take aren’t difficult for the United States to commit to and carry out. We are just asking the United States to put an end to its hostile policies (on North Korea) and remove the unjust sanctions, things it can do even without a snap of a finger.”
If Trump bows down to North Korea’s demands, it would leave South Korea and Japan exposed to attack by North Korea. But the North Korean demand also exposes Trump’s lies because it’s very clear that Kim Jong Un never had any intention of dismantling his nuclear arsenal, an arsenal that could reach the United States.
In short, Trump looks like a complete fool who got duped by a third-world dictator.
Experts and journalists soon responded on Twitter by pointing out that Trump got played, especially since he claimed he could trust Kim Jong Un.
“Over my lifetime I’ve done a lot of deals with a lot of people, and sometimes the people you most distrust turn out to be the most honorable ones…We’ve developed a very special bond…I trust him and he trusts me.” — Trump, June 12 on whether Kim Jong Un should be trusted. https://t.co/Feh7mthmLT
— Christina Wilkie (@christinawilkie) December 20, 2018
Trump. Got. Played. https://t.co/aBNijbsbk6
— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) December 20, 2018
North Korea just said it will NOT denuclearize and demands the US pull all troops out of South Korea. Trump’s weakness and irrational, uninformed decisions are having dangerous worldwide consequences. And many of our appointed and elected officials sit in silent encouragement.
— Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) December 20, 2018
In other words, North Korea has accelerated their program and no meaningful progress has been made. However, Kim Jong-un has won a series of diplomatic victories and newfound legitimacy thanks to Donald Trump, who praised him repeatedly and said he had fallen in love with Kim. https://t.co/x8INd4Yqy0
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) December 20, 2018
As #DPRK specialists have been pointing out for months, North Korea has defined denuclearization as requiring the US to take down the nuclear umbrella it has shielding its Northeast Asia allies.
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) December 20, 2018
What the US has sought, in the past, is the complete, verifiable and irreversible *dismantlement* of North Korea’s nuclear programs. North Korea demanded the US stop using that phrase — and @SecPompeo gave in. (3/3)
— Jeffrey Lewis (@ArmsControlWonk) December 19, 2018
Money paragraph. Read closely. DPRK is talking about US assets off the peninsula *as well as* surrounding areas. This is their definition of “ending the hostile policy” before denuclearization can be contemplated. https://t.co/TSIbGR3GUf
— Vipin Narang (@NarangVipin) December 20, 2018
Read this very very carefully. NK is firing back explicitly: don’t be deluded into thinking it is going to unilaterally disarm. Stop with the “FFVD of North Korea” talk. This is a very hard hitting commentary and very important as we face a deep impasse with NK. https://t.co/n3wwap5Dfq
— Vipin Narang (@NarangVipin) December 20, 2018
Kim to Trump on denuclearization: you first. https://t.co/cgijefYjlb
— James Cameron (@CameronJJJ) December 20, 2018
This is especially humiliating foreign policy news considering Trump just surrendered Syria on Wednesday by declaring a false victory, therefore making Russia and Iran happy while giving ISIS a chance to breathe and regroup.
Clearly, our national security is only weakening under Trump, and it’s time for Republicans to do something about it.
Featured Image: Wikimedia
