Meeting secretly with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang, 54-year-old CIA Director, soon to be Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo opened the channel to resolve the crisis on the Korean Peninsula. Kim has traded barbs with Kim for more than a year, culminating Sept. 24, 2017 when his Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho said it was “inevitable” North Korean nuclear missiles would hit the U.S. homeland. Trump responded forcefully telling the international community that if Kim didn’t disarm he would exercise a military option to stop Kim from developing a nuclear-tipped Intercontinental Ballistic Missile [ICBM]. “A good relationship formed,” Trump told reporters in Florida at a Mar-a-Lago press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at his side. Trump said Pompeo’s meeting with Kim was designed to set up a summit sometime in late May or early June.
Accused by the American and foreign press of war mongering with North Korea, Trump’s tough talk apparently paid off, bringing Kim to the bargaining table. After meeting with Pompeo, Kim knows that Trump is dead serious about denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Too busy scoring political points with Stormy Daniels, the U.S. press spends almost no time on what could be the biggest foreign policy accomplishment since the end the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Three American presidents, including Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama couldn’t make any headway on disarming North Korea’s nuclear weapons. Kim’s willingness to meet with Pompeo to discuss nuclear disarmament indicates that North Korean has finally come to its sense about the consequences of not disarming. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sept. 5, 2017 Kim “would rather eat grass” than disarm.
Nine months later, Kim’s meeting with Pompeo to set up a summit meeting with Trump. Kim knows there can be no summit with Trump to resolve bilateral issues unless he unequivocally agrees to de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. “De-nuclearization will be a great thing for the World but also for North Korea!” tweeted Trump today, hinting that Kim stands to gain big for disarming. “Pompeo has taken the lead on the administration’s negotiations with Pyongyang . . .” said the Washington Post, acknowledging the progress toward peace on the Korean Peninsula. Most U.S. papers were critical of Trump for pushing North Korea to the breaking point. When Trump fired former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson March 13, the press accused the White House of chaos. Now that Pompeo’s met with Kim, it all makes sense that he’s slated for the next Secretary of State.
Dealing with North Korea through the CIA’s back channel with its counterpart the Reconnaissance General Bureau and South Korean’s National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon, Pompeo got the ball rolling on what looks like a developing breakthrough. While disarming North Korea’s nukes amd ballistic missiles hasn’t happened yet or a possible peace treaty, the steps are in the works. When Kim met secretly with Chinese President Xi Jinping March 27, he was told in no uncertain terms that he must disarm or face a possible U.S. strike. Kim hoped, like during the 1950-53 Korean War, China would protect Kim from the U.S. Xi signed onto to several U.N. resolutions demanding that Kim disarm his nukes and ballistic missiles. All the movement toward a summit with Trump directly relates to Xi telling Kim that he must disarm his nukes and ballistic missiles.
Talking to Pempeo over Easter weekend, the press didn’t see it coming, given no time to disparage the meeting. With the press consumed with Stormy Daniels and more salacious news, it’s missed the biggest foreign policy breakthrough in the last 25 years in North Korea. Unwilling to give Trump any positive press on the economy or on recent missile strikes against Syria’s chemical weapons sites, the North Korean breakthrough obliterates the anti-Trump narrative heading into the Midterm elections. Keeping up the negative publicity is Democrat strategy to win back the House and Senate. With Trump on the verge of de-nuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, voters see another major Trump success without acknowledging it. There’s been little mention in the press of Trump’s accomplishments, preferring only to highlight Stormy Daniels or chaotic personnel changes at the White House.
Whether it’s negotiating better trade deals with China or talking to North Korea, there’s method to Trump’s madness, getting results he wants. When Xi announced April 10 he wanted to negotiate trade issues with the U.S., the press barely mentioned it, despite the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 1,000 points in one week. “I really believe there’s a lot of good will They do respect us. We are respectful of them,” said Trump, announcing Pompeo’s success in meeting with Kim. With the media so negative about Trump, it’s no wonder his approval ratings haven’t jumped together with the economy and news of a possible breakthrough in North Korea. “They have my blessings to discuss the end of the war,” said Trump. “Subject to a deal, the have my blessings,” referring to no only the upcoming disarmament summit but also the growing possibility of signing a peace treaty with North Korea.
