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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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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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The Ivanka counter-charm offensive: Bracing for the Winter Olympics end game

By World Tribune on February 23, 2018

Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — Ivanka Trump’s upcoming weekend in South Korea is sure to set off another round of intense speculation while the vice chairman of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party leads a delegation south at just about the same time.

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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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Trump’s ‘new American moment’: Paving the way to a ‘bloody nose’ for North Korea?

By World Tribune on February 1, 2018, Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

Don’t count on the Winter Olympics as the moment for rapprochement on the Korean peninsula. That message came through loud and clear in President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address. “Our new American moment,” as Trump called this  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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The Seoul Air Show, an exercise by U.S. ‘decapitation’ team and daydreams of a Trump-Kim sit-down at the DMZ

October 20, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

The line-up of warplanes on display beside the runway at Seoul Air Base has got to be intimidating. The sight of the latest American F35s and F22s along with all those South Korean fighters may  Read More 
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South Korea’s pro-North Left can’t believe the leader they backed appears to collude with Trump

October 8, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

SEOUL —South Korea’s outspoken radicals and leftists can hardly hide their dismay.

To the consternation of organizers of the candlelight crusade that brought down the government of the conservative Park Geun-Hye, ousted and jailed on a wide range of offenses, their one-time hero, Moon Jae-In,  Read More 
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Playing defense: Who are Kim Jong-Un and Donald Trump kidding with their war of words?

September 24, 2017
Special to WorldTribune.com

By Donald Kirk

It wasn’t exactly a declaration of war, but it did come close. What else to make of President Trump’s remark that the U.S. might “totally destroy North Korea”? It was one thing to belittle Kim Jong-Un as “rocket man” but quite another to  Read More 
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