Statement comes after Trump’s visit with Kim at the DMZ zone
At the visit Trump and Kim Jong un appeared to get along fine as usual. However, just a day before that historic visit, the US was involved in a joint letter that called for all UN member states to expel all North Korean workers.
US calls for all North Korean workers to be expelled from UN member states
The US State Department ordered the expulsion of North Korean workers in UN member states, as it alleges that North Korea had violated a cap on importation of petroleum products. The North Korean workers are hardly responsible for this situation even if the charge is true. The move just ensures that no funds are received in North Korea from its workers abroad.
Division within the Trump administration
While Trump talks repeatedly of diplomacy with Kim and has predicted very positive results, there are hawks within the Trump administration, such as John Bolton, who want to take a hard line against North Korea. At the recent Hanoi summit, the US insisted on complete denuclearization before removal of tariffs resulting in failure and Trump leaving.
The hawks likely want Trump to stay with the same demands. North Korea has seen the US continually expand hostile actions against it while at the same time saying publicly that it wants a diplomatic solution. US hostile actions worsen the situation, rather than encouraging a diplomatic solution. It will create doubts within North Korea about US sincerity in wanting a diplomatic solution.
Bolton reacted angrily to reports of weaker demands on North Korea: “The Trump administration is considering a nuclear deal with North Korea that would ask it to freeze its nuclear weapons program, dropping prior demands to dismantle it entirely, The New York Times reported Sunday. According to the report, White House officials are weighing a deal that would leave North Korea’s existing nuclear arsenal and missile battery in place — a situation US policy has long considered intolerable.”
Bolton was furious at the report and denied that any such plan was being considered as reported in a recent Digital Journal article.
