Pence Visits North Korea Border, `Heartened' by China Moves

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U.S. Vice President Mike Pence encouraged China to take action against North Korea while he met with troops a day after Kim Jong Un’s regime defied the Trump administration with a ballistic missile test.

On a visit to the demilitarized zone between North Korea and South Korea, Pence said he was “heartened” by early signs from China and hoped its leaders would “use the extraordinary levers they have” to prod Kim into giving up his nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. He repeated President Donald Trump’s warning that the U.S. would act without China if necessary.



“Either China will deal with this problem or the United States and its allies will,” Pence said on Monday. “We want to see change. we want to see North Korea abandon its reckless path.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-04-17/pence-visits-troops-on-north-korea-border-as-trump-weighs-action

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Timeline:

August 2013: North Korea reported to have restarted nuclear reactor to produce plutonium

May 2015: North Korea claims to have tested a submarine-launched missile; says it developed technology to mount nuclear warhead on a missile

July 2014: North Korea conducts series of missile tests ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Seoul

September 2015: North Korea threatens nuclear attack against U.S. and reaffirms its main reactor is operational. South Korean President Park Geun-hye says North will “pay a price” for fourth test

December 2015: Kim Jong Un says North Korea is “ready to detonate” a hydrogen bomb

Jan. 6, 2016: North Korea says it successfully tests hydrogen bomb

Feb. 7, 2016: North Korea launches a long-range rocket that it says successfully put a satellite into orbit

Aug. 24, 2016: North Korea successfully launches a ballistic missile from a submarine

Sept. 5, 2016: North Korea fires three ballistic missiles about 1,000 kilometers, at least one of which entered Japan’s air defense zone

Sept. 9, 2016: North Korea conducts fifth nuclear test

Oct. 16, 2016: North Korea fires a ballistic missile that immediately explodes after launch

Feb. 12, 2017: North Korea fires an intermediate-range Pukguksong-2 ballistic missile into nearby seas, drawing a joint rebuke from Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who were meeting in Florida

March 6, 2017: North Korea fires four ballistic missiles, with three falling into Japan’s exclusive economic zone

April 16, 2017: North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile that exploded almost immediately after launch, defying warnings from the Trump administration to avoid any further provocations



https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-04-16/north-korea-missile-launches-nuclear-detonations-timeline

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China sends warning to North Korea not to mess with US

April 12, 2017

China issued a blunt warning to North Korea on Wednesday — telling its belligerent ally to not conduct nuclear weapons or missile tests, or it was likely to face military action by the US.

“Not only [is] Washington brimming with confidence and arrogance following the missile attacks on Syria, but Trump is also willing to be regarded as a man who honors his promises,” said the People’s Daily, the ruling Communist Party’s official paper.

North Korea should halt any plans for nuclear and missile tests “for its own security,” the newspaper said, making it clear that the US would not “co-exist” with a nuclear-armed Pyongyang.

But the US and other foreign governments have long overestimated China’s ability to affect Pyongyang’s behavior, said Ruan Zongze, a US relations expert at the China Institute of International Studies, a think tank run by the foreign ministry.

“There’s a view that China possesses the key to solving the peninsula problem, or that China has the faucet and that all China has to do is shut it off and the peninsula issue is solved,” Ruan said.

“In fact, I think the outside exaggerates the sort of role China can play. China isn’t really as influential as all that,” he said.

Beijing’s insistence on a peaceful approach to resolving the issue is rooted in its belief that any attempt to denuclearize the North by force would bring cataclysmic results for all sides, including China, Ruan said.

http://nypost.com/2017/04/12/china-willing-to-work-with-us-against-north-korea/

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Revival of Talks on Korean Crisis Main Priority for China, Russia – FM

 14.04.2017

The restoration of talks between the parties to the Korean peninsula’s conflict is crucial for both Beijing and Moscow as the tensions in the region have intensified, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Friday.

Beijing is willing to cooperate closely with Moscow in order to improve the political situation on the peninsula and revive the dialogue, Wang added.

“Prevention of war and chaos on the Korean peninsula correlates with mutual interests of China and Russia. The return of all parties to the negotiation table is a common goal for China and Russia,” Wang said in a telephone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as quoted by the Chinese foreign ministry.

The tensions on the Korean peninsula have intensified in 2016 after Pyongyang carried out a number of missile launches and nuclear tests, with the latest being conducted on April 5, 2017.

https://sputniknews.com/politics/201704141052654196-talks-crisis-korea-fm/

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Tough talk from Pence at demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea

Last Updated Apr 17, 2017 8:42 AM EDT

PANMUNJOM, South Korea -- Vice President Mike Pence declared Monday the “era of strategic patience is over” with North Korea, expressing impatience with the unwillingness of the regime to move toward ridding itself of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

Pence, who has called the North’s failed missile test a day earlier “a provocation,” said the U.S. and its allies will achieve its objectives through “peaceable means or ultimately by whatever means are necessary” to protect South Korea and stabilize the region.

Later, at a joint news conference in Seoul with acting South Korean President Hwang Kyo-ahn, Pence reiterated that the U.S. commitment to South Korea is “iron-clad and immutable.”

Though North Korea did not conduct a new nuclear test this weekend -- which had been seen as a distinct possibility given activity at a primary testing site -- a White House official said that had it happened, .”

And as Diaz notes, the 85th anniversary of North Korea’s military is next week, giving the North another high-profile opportunity to conduct a nuclear test.

Pointing to Trump’s recent military actions in Syria and Afghanistan, Pence said, “,” or the U.S. armed forces in the region.

After a two-month policy review, officials settled on a policy dubbed “maximum pressure and engagement,” U.S. officials said Friday. The administration’s immediate emphasis, the officials said, will be on increasing pressure on Pyongyang with the help of Beijing.

The officials weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the results of the policy review and requested anonymity.

Pence is tasked with explaining the policy in meetings with leaders in South Korea and Japan during the trip, which will also include stops in Indonesia and Australia. .

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tough-talk-from-pence-at-demilitarized-zone-separating-north-and-south-korea/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab6a&linkId=36574017&ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&linkId=36574056

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 Day #2 – VP Mike Pence Visits DMZ in South Korea (video)…   

Vice-President Mike Pence continues his 10-day trip to Asia with a day-two visit to the DMZ and discussions with interim South Korean President Hwang.  VP Pence delivered remarks during a meeting with President Hwang:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5RQ5wkfhto[/youtube]

While change is coming on May 9th, the people of South Korea may be assured — whatever change happens in your elections, the commitment of the United States to South Korea’s safety and security will remain unchanged.

On behalf of the President of the United States, my message to the people of South Korea is this:  We are with you 100 percent.  Even in these troubled times, we stand with you for a free and secure future.

The United States of America stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the Republic of Korea, and the service and vigilance of some 37,500 U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines on this frontier of freedom stand as a testament to the enduring partnership between our people.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2017/04/17/day-2-vp-mike-pence-visits-dmz-in-south-korea-video/