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Hither and Yon

Oil for N. Korea: China much angrier at THAAD than Pyongyang’s nukes

September 15, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

President Moon Jae-In has to be a master of the art of compromise. He was all for the latest watered-down UN sanctions that cut down but don’t cut off the flow of oil from China and Russia to North Korea.

The U.S. would far  Read More 
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Pax Koreana? In their dreams

September 7, 2017

By Donald Kirk

Donald Trump doesn’t get it. He warns South Korea about “appeasement,” but who’s appeasing whom?

Yes, President Moon Jae-In, hero of the candlelight protests that lofted him as the liberal darling into the presidency after the ouster of the conservative Park Geun-Hye, would love to go down in  Read More 
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On their minds in South Korea’s island paradise: Visions of peace … and returning Chinese tourists

By World Tribune on August 10, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

GANGJEONG, Jeju: Upstaged by THAAD ― that’s the sad fate of the gaggle of dutiful protesters who pray and hold signs aloft and march in front of the main entrance to the gleaming new Republic of Korea naval base on the southern  Read More 
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Going rogue in Seoul: Leftists’ dream president suddenly hints South Korea should ‘go nuclear’

By Donald Kirk

WASHINGTON – The standoff on the Korean peninsula is entering a new phase. While President Moon Jae-In calls for talks with North Koreans, he is also honoring the U.S.-Korean alliance and insisting the North give up its nuclear program.

Can Moon have it both ways? He’s besieged by protesters  Read More 
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Heartburn in Pyongyang as ‘puppet’ from Seoul visits White House

July 6, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

WASHINGTON – Pro-Northers have got to be more than a little disappointed by the recent summit between the presidents of the Republic of Korea and the United States.

Judging from all the blather they were emitting before the summit, the pro-North crowd would have far rather seen  Read More 
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Key U.S. alliance in Northeast Asia put to the test with election of new South Korean leader

May 19, 2017
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  Read More 
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South Korea’s new leadership has a record of promoting summitry with North Korea

May 11, 2017
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  Read More 
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Mar-a-lago menu: THAAD and Kim Jong-UN; Powerpoints and hot air

April 6, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

From the outset, the idea of implanting a Star Wars weapon capable of zapping an enemy missile 150 kilometers above the earth’s surface had to be controversial.

The real problem from the South Korean viewpoint initially was, what for ― what we really need are short and  Read More 
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U.S.-South Korean alliance under assault by a communist tag team

March 16, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, dispensing pledges like a jolly Santa Claus pulling Christmas presents from his sled, arrives today (Friday) in Seoul from Tokyo and flies the following day to Beijing. After vowing undying U.S. support to Korea and Japan, he’ll  Read More 
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U.S. military and both Korean armies on alert as ‘progressives’ rampage on the streets of Seoul

By World Tribune on December 8, 2016
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

The many thousands of protesters who’ve been marching toward the walls of the restored palace of Korea’s dynastic kings toward the Blue House of latter-day presidents have been ignoring a likely target. That’s the American embassy, looming large, brightly  Read More 
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