This can’t be good. A statement by an unnamed North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman says high-level talks with a U.S. delegation led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were “regrettable” and accused the U.S of trying to unilaterally pressure the country into abandoning its nuclear program.
The statement came just hours after Pompeo concluded two days of talks with North Korean officials led by Kim Yong Chol.
BREAKING: North Korea Foreign Ministry says talks with Pompeo 'regrettable,' accuses US of unilateral demands for denuclearization.
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 7, 2018
The statement says that the United States betrayed the spirit of last month’s summit in Singapore between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un by making unilateral demands on the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization (CVID) of North Korea.
The report also says the outcome of the talks between Mike Pompeo and Kim Yong Chol was “very concerning” because it has set the tone for a “dangerous phase that might rattle our willingness for denuclearisation that had been firm.”
Funny how everyone saw this coming after the great “meeting” in Singapore, and in fact, satellite images from North Korea since the summit have shown no evidence of dismantling their nuclear capacity at all but rather, North Korea appears to be upgrading their nuclear site. The fact that most people – except Donald Trump – were wary of the squishy commitment by Kim to “work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula” by some unspecified time seems to be warranted.
As usual, this Administration appears to be out of touch. Including Mike Pomepeo, who thought the meeting went well. According to the AP, Pompeo offered a different view of the talks, telling reporters that the conversations were “productive,” “in good faith,” and that “a great deal of progress” had been made.
Just before leaving Pyongyang, @SecPompeo gives US reporters a brief readout from his meetings. “These are complicated issues but we made progress on almost all the central issues. Some places, a great deal of progress, other places, there’s still more work to be done.” pic.twitter.com/wiP0J1447N
— Heather Nauert (@statedeptspox) July 7, 2018
Are we surprised? Hardly. But if North Korea finds these denuclearization talks “very concerning” what should the rest of the world be thinking?
****Update: We should be thinking Trump got played.
Statement from North Korea today slamming U.S. makes clear that Trump got totally snookered and duped by Kim Jung Un. Trump gave a mass murderer worldwide legitimacy in return for nothing. North Koreans realized the easiest person to con is a narcissist. It only takes flattery.
— Tony Schwartz (@tonyschwartz) July 7, 2018
