Trade war: Oh no? Oh yes!

Trade war: Oh no? Oh yes!

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk Global Trade War is sweeping the world, and U.S. President Donald Trump intends to keep fighting. The question, though, is how and when it will end and what damage it will leave in its wake. The U.S. contends that that eventually some of America’s trading partners will realize they […]

Time of transition for U.S. forces in Korea awaiting Mattis visit

Time of transition for U.S. forces in Korea awaiting Mattis visit

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) is going through agonizing changes. Cancellation of joint U.S.-South Korean war games is not the only sign of the shifting U.S. military role. The USFK and the United Nations Command have just staged a colorful ceremony at Camp Humphreys, an expanding base that now […]

Skeptical minds want to know: What next with North Korean denuclearization?

Skeptical minds want to know: What next with North Korean denuclearization?

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk The most obvious lesson of the Singapore summit is that “complete denuclearization” is mission impossible. The North Koreans since then haven’t used the “n” word ― “n” for nuclear ― while talking in generalities about the need to respect everyone’s “sovereignty” along with the statement signed by President Donald […]

Giving peace a chance: U.S., S. Korean forces salute, hit pause button on war games

Giving peace a chance: U.S., S. Korean forces salute, hit pause button on war games

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk The Pentagon has reluctantly followed the orders of President Donald Trump and cancelled the next set of military exercises that U.S. and South Korea forces were to have staged jointly in August. U.S. Defense Department in Washington announced the decision simultaneously with South Korea’s ministry of national defense after […]

Newly-designated U.S. envoy to Seoul: ‘We are in a dramatically different place’ after summit

Newly-designated U.S. envoy to Seoul: ‘We are in a dramatically different place’ after summit

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk SINGAPORE – U.S. and South Korean military people are deeply concerned about the prospect of giving up joint military exercises while the presidents of both their countries remain convinced that North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un is really going to get rid of his nuclear program. Senior members of the […]

The greatest show on earth? Now for the follow through

The greatest show on earth? Now for the follow through

Special to WorldTribune.com Commentary by Donald Kirk SINGAPORE — The summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un wound up in a victory of style and image over real substance. Trump, hours after his historic meeting with Kim, defended the vague final declaration in a show of bluff and bluster in which he sought to […]

What is tough guy Kim Yong-Chol’s game and what happened in China on his way to NY?

What is tough guy Kim Yong-Chol’s game and what happened in China on his way to NY?

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk It does look like Singapore is on again. You can’t have so many emissaries going back and forth, between Pyongyang and New York, between Washington and Singapore, between Pyongyang and Singapore, between Manila and Panmunjeom, without thinking these guys are serious, something’s up. What, between Manila and Panmunjeom? What’s […]

Stakeholders agree: Trump and Kim simply must sit down and talk

Stakeholders agree: Trump and Kim simply must sit down and talk

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk SEOUL – If there’s anything the presidents of the U.S. and South Korea and the leader of North Korea are sure about, it’s the need for two of them, President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-Un, to meet in the very near future. Trump reaffirmed the need for the […]

What next on Korean summit? Pyongyang, White House, columnist left guessing

What next on Korean summit? Pyongyang, White House, columnist left guessing

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk SEOUL — President Donald Trump ignited another firestorm of controversy with his shock decision to call off his summit with Kim Jong-Un as planned for June 12 in Singapore. At the same time, the possibility lingered that he might still go back to a summit. Inside his administration, key […]

Smoke and mirrors: Kim wants world to witness destruction of already-obliterated test site

Smoke and mirrors: Kim wants world to witness destruction of already-obliterated test site

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk It’s not enough that North Korea should abruptly cancel South-North talks on military tensions and another long-awaited round of reunions of fast-fading families divided by the 1950-53 Korean War. Now we’re not even sure Kim Jong-Un will go through with his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. It’s hard […]

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