Donald Trump seems to be helping, not hurting, the debates between the Koreas …
From the midweek edition of the Morning Jolt, a bit of good news and praise for the president on the Korean peninsula…
A Glimmer of Hope on the Korean Peninsula?
Look, no one’s saying the potential threat of war on the Korean Peninsula is gone. But for the first time in a while, things look a little better than they did the day before.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in credited U. S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday for helping to spark the first inter-Korean talks in more than two years, and warned that Pyongyang would face stronger sanctions if provocations continued.
Seoul and Pyongyang agreed at Tuesday’s talks, the first since December 2015, to resolve all problems between them through dialogue and also to revive military consultations so that accidental conflict could be averted.
“I think President Trump deserves big credit for bringing about the inter-Korean talks, I want to show my gratitude,” Moon told reporters at his New Year’s news conference. “It could be a resulting work of the U. S.-led sanctions and pressure.”
Perhaps Moon is just attempting to ensure Trump gets some of the credit, or to warm U. S.-South Korean relations. Or maybe those international sanctions are starting to squeeze North Korea’s economy in ways that the regime can’t afford to ignore:
…exports may have declined by “as much as 30 percent last year”, according to Byung-Yeon Kim, author of the book “Unveiling the North Korean Economy”.
In particular, exports to China – North Korea’s biggest trading partner and the reason many believe Pyongyang is able to survive – are down as much as 35 percent.
