Conclusion of the Historic Summit

(Image: Trump and Kim as they sign the joint statement at the end of yesterday’s summit. Source: The English Post)

By now, many know that the summit between Kim and Trump ended the signing of a joint statement, which, on a cursory glance is similar to other statements signed by North Korea. (A whole analysis of the statement and the summit will be coming this week.)

The signing of the statement is historic in itself; never has a sitting president signed the same document as a North Korean leader. No matter how successful the summit, it will represent a tectonic shift in relations between the United States and North Korea.

Sign Time

Trump and Kim have emerged from their working lunch and now we are off to a signing. (I am watching the summit on CNN.)

Trump, passing reporters, said the meeting has been going well, possibly better than anyone could’ve expected. While Trump’s words may be over hyped, they do hint at the possibility of something similar to a joint communique or declaration to come. The two did go to separate areas after Trump mentioned the signing.

So far Kim and Trump appear to be having cordial time together. They walk together, shake hands, and Trump even showed off his presidential Cadillac. The two appear to have built a good rapport with each other.

We are awaiting the end of the summit and this signing. As for myself, I’m off for tonight so I can get some sleep. I’ll write updates as quickly as I can and provide my full analysis of the summit in the coming days.

What to Watch For as we Head to Lunch

(Image: Trump and Kim shake hands before their bilateral meeting in Singapore. Source: Fox News Twitter)

Kim Jung-un and President Trump have left their one on one and headed to a luncheon where diplomatic and expert staff will join them. The two leaders are continuing their historic summit which has the world watching.

Some things to watch for from the summit as we near the end:

• Substance and plans: Will there be an unveiling of a plan toward denuclearization?
• Statements: What will Kim Jung-un say? What about Trump’s words? How will the media–both American and North Korean–use public statements to shape the narrative?
• Human rights: Was the topic of human rights abuses even mentioned in this meeting? What was said and who said it?
• The relationship: How do Kim and Trump act together? How are they shaping the image through body language and gestures?
• Peace Treaty: Was their discussion on a formal treaty to end the Korean War? Were any stipulations in place for the treaty? What frame was the treaty presented? And, finally, was a treaty signed?

These are just a few points to watch in this summit. Hopefully, we’ll have answers to them all in the coming hours.

Houston We have Handshake

Kim Jung-un has officially gained more prominence in the world. Kim Jung-un and Donald Trump have shaken hands in Singapore before a background of American and North Korean flags and are now off to a 1-on-1 bilateral meeting with only translators present.

The summit is on and we await the news.

Breaking News: Sweeping Olympic Deal

(Image: The Korean Unification Flag. Source: Sarago)[1]

South and North Korea have been working on a dialogue for weeks, which mainly has focused on Olympic participation of North Korea. (These talks are subject to my post in progress, outlining a few major stories as I work my way back into publishing on this site.) Today, these talks have reached a broad deal which establishes a sweeping precedent for inter-Korean sports relations moving forward.

In Pyeongchang, the two Koreas will march under one flag (Wall Street Journal), the Unified Korea flag which shows an undivided peninsula in blue on a white background (Yonhap). However, the deal does not stop there. In Women’s Ice Hockey, the two Koreas will field a unified team; North Korea is set to send 230 member cheering squad and a 30 taekwondo demonstration team; and the North promised to send a 150 member delegation to the Paralympics in March (Yonhap).

The deal is a milestone in inter-Korean sports relations, though it may face some backlash. South Korean athletes have, in the past, balked at the idea of a unified team that places parity with North Korea over the hard work of South Korean athletes (New York Times). The deal, in South Korean political circles, is being argued as a start to thawing relations with North Korea. It also may enhance security around and during the Olympics as North Korea now has a stake in the outcome.

Notes

[1] This source is in Japanese and I have simply pulled the image.

Breaking News: North Korea Tests Another Missile

At dawn on November 29, Korean time, North Korea launched another ballistic missile, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Early analysis points to the possibility that the missile was an ICBM, with a launch altitude of 4500km and a distance of 960km (Yonhap). This is North Korea’s first test in over two months.

Though frightening, the fact that North Korea tested an ICBM should not come as a surprise. With a widening arsenal of ballistic missiles, North Korea must work to ensure that its long-range missiles are capable of launch. In fact, it wouldn’t be too much to say that a majority of North Korea’s capabilities testing–that is not to say a missile as a response to an action the regime perceives as hostile–will most likely be of some aspect of an ICBM moving forward.

More to come in today’s Daily Update.

Corrections

November 28, 2017: A previous rendition of this post misstated the stats of the missile launch, saying that the missile flew 4500km at an altitude of 960km. The missile, in fact, flew 960km at an altitude of 4500km.

Breaking News: UN Sanctions

The United Nations unanimously adopted a new round of sanctions Monday, targeting the import of oil and North Korean labor. The resolution, in the words of American Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Hailey, says “the world will never accept a nuclear North Korea,” (Wall Street Journal).

The sanctions adopted targeted a wide variety of industries. They placed a ban on North Korean textiles; limited import of oil to North Korea; and targeted North Korean labor, imposing a “humanitarian” clause for  future labor and letting all workers on contracts beginning before the imposition of the sanctions to continue work. This round is a watered down version of suggestions circulated by America following North Korea’s nuclear test (CNN).

The question, as with all sanctions, is the quality of implementation. The “humanitarian” loophole has caused concern in the past and made implementing sanctions difficult. It is also unclear how cooperative China will be after forcing other states to water down the resolution. Though strong, the overall effectiveness of the sanctions will be a question to follow throughout the next few months.

Breaking News: Artifical Earthquake in North Korea

On Sunday, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck North Korea. It’s point of origin was Pyunggye-ri, North Korea’s nuclear test site, raising fears that North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test. South Korean military is monitoring the situation, as the rest of the world waits for more data surrounding the quake.

More to come.

Breaking News: Missiles Again

North Korea has launched another missile today, its second one this week. Japan’s NHK broke news of the launch, and told its citizens to be safe. The missile reportedly flew over Japan, and is most likely a show of strength by Pyongyang. (Yonhap Reporting). I am following the test and will add it to my second missile test analysis post.

Breaking News: A New Set of Launches

North Korea reportedly launched several missiles from Gangwando Province into the East Sea. The launch comes as South Korea and the United States are engaging in military drills on the peninsula, a time always fraught with high tensions and tough rhetoric.

Trump has yet to respond to the launch. Instead, the American president is currently at Camp David, monitoring Hurricane Harvey as it makes landfall in Texas. (In other news, I’ve been a little obsessed with Harvey as my hometown will be hit by parts of the storm.)

I will work on an update to this test and will have my ICBM analysis up soon. Thank you all for being patient.