U.S.-North Korea-China peace treaty? Bad idea

U.S.-North Korea-China peace treaty? Bad idea

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk WASHINGTON – The good news about President Moon Jae-In’s summitry with President Donald Trump this week is they’re talking as partners in the drive to end North Korea’s nuclear program and bring about inter-Korean reconciliation. A major barrier to cooperation, however, is loose talk about a peace treaty or […]

Exercise in terrorism: The likely cause of Otto Warmbier’s death

Exercise in terrorism: The likely cause of Otto Warmbier’s death

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk The death of Otto Warmbier provides a powerful reminder of the torture and terrorism perpetrated by one of the world’s most repressive regimes. Americans are no doubt aware of the tyranny of the dynasty led by a man who revels in ordering the development of long-range missiles capable of […]

Peace? Or should the conference theme be ‘Long live the brutal Kim dynasty’?

Peace? Or should the conference theme be ‘Long live the brutal Kim dynasty’?

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk WASHINGTON – Christine Ahn, a policy analyst with the Korea Peace Network, had what appeared to be good news as she opened a conference here with the portentous title, “Off Ramps to War: Paths to Building Peace with North Korea.” Otto Warmbier, the University of Virginia student accused of […]

Hangover after the honeymoon: Post-election euphoria fades for South Korea’s President Moon

Hangover after the honeymoon: Post-election euphoria fades for South Korea’s President Moon

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk It’s tempting for punsters to play on the surname Moon. There’s “honeymoon,” of course, and “moonshine” – the latter for whiskey distilled in the mountains of Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee by the light of the moon. How long, then, will the honeymoon last for President Moon Jae-In while North […]

Let’s make a deal: Donald Trump to remake Pyongyang’s skyline!

Let’s make a deal: Donald Trump to remake Pyongyang’s skyline!

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk Everybody’s talking about overtures to Pyongyang. Informal talks, secret talks, talks about talks – then, somewhere in everyone’s pet solution, comes the killer line: Pyongyang has to “freeze” its missile-and-nuclear program before real talking begins. It’s unlikely Kim Jong-Un will “freeze” anything, but here’s an idea. Remember that enormous […]

Key U.S. alliance in Northeast Asia put to the test with election of new South Korean leader

Key U.S. alliance in Northeast Asia put to the test with election of new South Korean leader

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk Would Kim Jong-Un mind giving Moon Jae-In a break? More than any other South Korean leader in years, Moon would like nothing better than to be the one to bring about North-South reconciliation. Wouldn’t it be great, Moon’s newly appointed former activists must be saying, if Kim Jong-Un invited […]

South Korea’s new leadership has a record of promoting summitry with North Korea

South Korea’s new leadership has a record of promoting summitry with North Korea

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk The drama of South Korean history opens a tumultuous new act with the election of a liberal labor lawyer who has promised both to bring about detente with North Korea and satisfy the demands of restive masses fed up with alleged rightist abuses. Whether Moon Jae-In will be able […]

Having sworn to ‘forever renounce war’, Japan still alone in a tough neighborhood

Having sworn to ‘forever renounce war’, Japan still alone in a tough neighborhood

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk TOKYO ― The shadows of war lengthen over Japanese society in thrall to Article 9 of a “peace constitution” foisted under the “occupation” led by the victorious World War II Pacific commander, Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Much as the “rightist” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe might want to do away with […]

Talking North Korea peace has paid off for the talkers, but not for peace

Talking North Korea peace has paid off for the talkers, but not for peace

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk An interviewer for a radio station in Boston, winding up one of those Q&A’s to which journalists are subjected, asked, What would you do to resolve the North Korean “problem?” I answered, “I have no solution, no idea, no clue.” While that response might seem like an abject display […]

This is not Syria: Tens of millions could die in Korean War II

This is not Syria: Tens of millions could die in Korean War II

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk POHANG – An array of heavy-duty, sophisticated gear spread over the beaches here shows the incredible military might of the U.S. and South Korea. Far offshore, way beyond the horizon, the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson leads a “strike force” of warships. Watching the display of U.S. strength on the […]

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