Via CNN: “It is increasingly likely that North Korea will have the same nuclear status one year from now that it has today.” So says the U.S. envoy on DPRK human rights, Jay Lefkowitz, and in contrast to the overly absurdly optimistic spin Christopher Hill puts on the situation.
From the Dong-a Ilbo: “President of the Families of Abducted and Detained in North Korea, confirmed yesterday at a press conference, ‘A former South Korean soldier surnamed Kim is currently staying in a third country. He crossed the North Korean border at around 10 p.m. on June 14. He joined the South Korean army in August 1951 at age 17. He is now 74 years old.’”
- #GI Korea has an excellent and lengthy post on the background, events, and aftermath of the 2002 accident where a U.S. armored vehicle killed to schoolgirls. I arrived in Korea a few days after the accident, but things didn't start to heat up until two months later, as I was returning to the States.
- #Via Reuters: “…there was strong suspicion a huge shipment of methamphetamines seized at the former U.S. navy base of Subic north of Manila this week came from clandestine drugs laboratories in North Korea.” The Joker took over Batman’s abandoned cave.
- #From TimesOnline: "THE first case of murder and suicide caused by North Korea’s new food crisis has emerged with the account of a man who killed his hungry wife and children and then took his own life in despair." This report can't be confirmed, but it is entirely plausible.
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January 18th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
John Bolton couldn’t have said it better. Nice to see that some don’t have the wool over their eyes.
January 19th, 2008 at 7:49 am
The Bush administration hasn’t officially made reality-based assessments like that for over a year now - only via Bolton and now Lefkowitz. I have to wonder if Hill believes the spin he’s putting out or just towing the official line. Maybe he’ll have a book out in a couple of years…
January 19th, 2008 at 11:12 am
The whole thing is a mess right now. I had a much longer winded rant, but I decided to leave it out because the video speaks for itself. Human rights should have been part of the agenda to begin with, and the coddling venue is not working, will never work, and they need to go back to the drawing board with some real consequences for non-action on Kim’s part.
January 20th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Jack, I agree that things are a mess right now. The Bush admin was on track with sanction that were working and Human Rights should be central to all of this. The Bush admin also hasn’t accepted many NK defectors, though there are some valid security concerns there (i.e., NK intel officers posing as defectors to gain access to the U.S. for collection and/or sabotage, etc.).
January 20th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
To be fair, Roh did not help one bit.
January 20th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
The art of understatement!
January 21st, 2008 at 3:02 am
And Bush pretended Human Rights was at least a significant part, well, check that, he acted like HR was a central part of any North Korea policy when he met the author of Aquarims of Pyongyang and started Lefkowitz’ position, and that has been about the last thing he has done on it.
It certainly has been a completely absent factor in North Korea policy even when banking sanctions were on.
I am glad Lefkowitz is speaking out. Someone still in the administration. And I’m glad Bolten is being so outspoken.
But —– frankly —– US North Korea policy is a shitty, shitty mess.
It has been beyond pathetic - whether you are a hawk or dove.
Bush’s flipflop has made the hardliners and Bush’s former self look like jackasses.
And North Korea has done the same for those of Hill’s ilk.
P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C!!!