Why North Korea can't trust Washington



Opinion Why North Korea can’t trust Washington U.S. policy towards North Korea won't have credibility until the message is consistent Robert E. McCoy June 13, 2017 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON State Department A recent article cited the U.S. Secretary of State during a meeting with a special presidential envoy from South Korea in Washington on May 18 as urging North Korea to trust the administration in its promise of no hostility. Tillerson stated that the U.S. does not seek a change of the Pyongyang regime, has no plans to invade North Korea, and that Washington would guarantee the existence of the current system in North Korea. Even if Kim were inclined to trust the current U.S. administration – a stretch of the imagination in the first place, given how often U.S. President Trump has changed his mind on one thing or another – what about succeeding presidents? A recent article cited the U.S. Secretary of State during a meeting with a special presidential envoy from South Korea in Washington on May 18 as urging North Korea to trust the administration in its promise of no hostility. Tillerson stated that the U.S. does not seek a change of the Pyongyang regime, has no plans to invade North Korea, and that Washington would guarantee the existence of the current system in North Korea. Even if Kim were inclined to trust the current U.S. administration – a stretch of the imagination in the first place, given how often U.S. President Trump has changed his mind on one thing or another – what about succeeding presidents? Become a member for less than $4 per week. Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

Opinion

Why North Korea can’t trust Washington

U.S. policy towards North Korea won't have credibility until the message is consistent

Robert E. McCoy June 13, 2017

State Department

A recent article cited the U.S. Secretary of State during a meeting with a special presidential envoy from South Korea in Washington on May 18 as urging North Korea to trust the administration in its promise of no hostility. Tillerson stated that the U.S. does not seek a change of the Pyongyang regime, has no plans to invade North Korea, and that Washington would guarantee the existence of the current system in North Korea.

Even if Kim were inclined to trust the current U.S. administration – a stretch of the imagination in the first place, given how often U.S. President Trump has changed his mind on one thing or another – what about succeeding presidents?