Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un released an unprecedented direct statement through KCNA in response to U. S. President Donald Trump’s bomba…
Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un released an unprecedented direct statement through KCNA in response to U. S. President Donald Trump’s bombastic UN General Assembly speech. It deserves careful analysis as it represents a rare window onto Kim’s thinking about the United States.
First, Kim reveals his expectation that Trump’s UN speech would consist of “stereotyped, prepared remarks” not different from prior statements since the U. S. President would be speaking “on the world’s largest official diplomatic stage.” In other words, Kim’s default assumption is that the U. S., at the center of the existing international order, is fundamentally constrained in its ability to respond to North Korea’s nuclear advancement. On the other hand, North Korea, as a guerrilla state existing outside the system, has exploited its independence from normative behavior that restrains other nations.
Nevertheless, Kim confesses surprise at the tone of Trump’s remarks, observing that “a frightened dog barks louder.” This expression seems to suggest Kim feels his expanded threats are working and that Trump is on the defensive.
Then, Kim provides advice that may mirror the advice of Trump’s advisors: “I would like to advise Trump to exercise prudence in selecting words and to be considerate of whom he speaks to when making a speech in front of the world.” This description of his own reaction to “the mentally deranged behavior of the U. S. president” seems to normalize Kim’s views, since they don’t deviate too far from what one might expect to find in a David Brooks column .
