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Hither and Yon

Media hatred may derail Trump-Kim summit; And does Kim Jong-Un dare leave home?

March 22, 2018

Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

U.S. President Donald Trump is in such hot water in Washington that his summit with Kim Jong-Un, if it actually happens, will be either a distraction or a welcome relief from the pressure-cooker atmosphere at home.

The only problem is, he may be so busy  Read More 
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North Korean ‘regime change’? Give dreamers a chance

March 15, 2018

Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

In the excitement over impending summits, we may have forgotten one other solution everyone was talking about, oh, just a month or two ago.

Whatever happened to all the enthusiasm for forcing Kim Jong-Un out of his job by internal upheaval, external attack, or maybe just  Read More 
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About those euphoric Korea peace talks: A trip down memory lane

March 8, 2018
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

Don’t hold your breath. We’ve been disappointed so often in moves toward North-South reconciliation that it’s hard to believe any face-to-face talks between President Moon Jae-In and North Korea’s “respected leader” Kim Jong-Un will lead to resolution of  Read More 
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Korean protests at the Olympics, then and now

February 8, 2018, Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

Mid-winter is not exactly the best time for mass demonstrations in South Korea. Protesters prefer to wait for spring, but the Winter Olympics leave them no choice.

Flag-wavers are out there during the coldest ever Olympics, the rightists waving Korean and American flags, leftists and liberals  Read More 
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Let the games begin, but watch out for those N. Korean dancers

January 18, 2018, Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

WASHINGTON ― Ah, let the games begin! The fun and games, that is, of seeing how the clever North Koreans play the Winter Olympics for all they’re worth.

For sure, North Korean strategists are looking for a diplomatic and political triumph regardless of who wins what  Read More 
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Predicting the unfolding Korean history? Don’t bother

January 11, 2018

Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

WASHINGTON ― Uh oh. Watch for all the soothsayers putting in their two cents or two won worth on the future of the Korean Peninsula, post-PyeongChang. Beware of the cognoscenti with dire forecasts of capitulation to the evil Northers, with hopeful words of peace at last, with  Read More 
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Darkest Hour? Churchill, Chamberlain and today’s North Korean dilemma

December 28, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

WASHINGTON ― Historical comparisons can be terribly flawed. Bearing that in mind, I could not help but think of talk about talks with North Korea while watching a new British film, “Darkest Hour,” all about Winston Churchill in the darkest early days of World War II spurning  Read More 
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No B1 bomber can touch North Korea’s elite geek squad

December 21, 2017

Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

WASHINGTON: Here’s a target the deadliest, most accurate missile isn’t going to touch: the computers in North Korea that are responsible for wreaking havoc around the world.

It’s all very well to talk about “the military option” or even a “preemptive attack” on  Read More 
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Turns out the U.S. may not be able to afford Korean War II

By World Tribune on December 14, 2017

Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

WASHINGTON -- A lot of people here, from right to left politically, think war on the Korean peninsula is imminent.

Kim Jong-Un, they say, is eager to order a seventh nuclear test as well as test shots of intercontinental ballistic missiles. And would  Read More 
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‘Rocket man’ gives everyone a break from tedious news cycles

November 30, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

WASHINGTON ― He had to do it, didn’t he? Just when the optimists were saying, well, it’s been a few weeks since the last one, maybe he’s learned his lesson.

What lesson?

Kim Jong-Un (aka, “Rocket man”) sails on, oblivious  Read More 
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