Bloomberg: Inside Pompeo's Fraught North Korea Trip
* Secretary of state struggled for clarity on visit’s schedule
* Regime issued harsh statement after Pompeo left country
As U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo touched down in Pyongyang at 10:54 a.m. on Friday he had few details of his schedule in the North Korean capital -- even which hotel he and his staff would stay in.
Not much was clear aside from lunch with counterpart Kim Yong Chol to start filling in the “nitty-gritty details’’ from the Singapore declaration signed between the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea, according to his spokeswoman Heather Nauert. A handshake with Kim Jong Un, at least, seemed certain.
In the end, Pompeo stayed at neither of the hotels where he thought he’d be. The North Koreans took him, his staff and the six journalists traveling with the delegation to a gated guesthouse on the outskirts of the capital, just behind the mausoleum where the bodies of regime founder Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il lie embalmed and on occasional display.
It was the start of a confused visit of less than 30 hours, marked by a pair of lavish banquets that the secretary and his staff appeared to dread for their length and the daunting number of courses presented by unfailingly polite waiters. He only learned of his own schedule hours ahead of time, and the meeting with Kim Jong Un never happened -- despite strenuous efforts from his staff.
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WNU Editor: This reminds me of what I had to go through when I was part of a group that negotiated deals with China in the 1980s. As guests we were treated very well, but when it came to negotiaiting and making deals it was very slow and taxing. That phase involved lavish meals, visiting tourist spots, drinking, etc.. That is just how the Chinese were at that time (and it looks like it is the North Korean way now) My advice to the U.S. is that they have to practice strategic patience, to maintain existing sanctions and to tell China not to alleviate bilatteral sanctions (which they are doing right now), and be prepared that this is going to take a very long time to resolve itself.
Update: In an earlier post I wrote that a U.S. transport plane was spotted in Pyongyang .... Did A U.S. Transport Plane Land In Pyongyang To Pick Up The Remains Of U.S. Soldiers Killed From The Korean War? It was not there to remove U.S. remains, and it is still a mystery on why it was there. As to the remains of U.S. servicement that North Korea has, I am reading from my South Korean sources that North Korea does have these remians, but they want to be paid for returning them.Amount of money involved is unknown.