"North-South military deal has alarm bells ringing" Topic

"Washington is angry Seoul is lowering its defenses too fast, Joint Chiefs hint at reduced capabilities and a retired general launches a petition.

A brouhaha is brewing in Seoul, as both Washington and retired local generals express indignation about military agreements struck between North and South Korea at last month's summit in Pyongyang.

In transpires that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha and – in a controversy that is getting maximum airplay in local media – may have used expletives when he learned the contents of the deal…."
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Amicalement
Armand

What could possibly go wrong?

I mean, with the minefields pulled up, border defenses significantly reduced, NK run by a murderous mad-man, with 60+ nukes, no real progress on denuking, Russia and China actively and not even covertly supporting 'lil Kim, etc., etc..

Surely, they don't think that could end badly, do they?

The dictator will probably end up running the whole country, instead of only half of it.

How about letting the Koreans run their own countries/country, instead of interfering?

There is still an active UN Security Council ruling that South Korea is to be defended from the North, and there is a US-RoK defense treaty.

I wouldn't worry too much about this. It is after all only an agreement and the Cease-Fire is still in effect. And it appears the infamous "un-named sources" are the origin of the stories.

On the plus side we are seeing more movement away from the chinese sphere of influence by NK. This is one of the main goals of the Trump administration and it appears to be working.

Imho the real Koean "risk" is for the chubby Kim …. if both start to lower the controls of common people … the North will begin to see "the real world" by means of tv, internet, etc and most likely they will want to have access to a certain freedom and consumer goods … as soon as they see how their brothers from the south live … Kim and her surroundings will have a hard time …It would start with an exodus of people like in Venezuela … and we know how that ends.

Amicalement
Armand

Does that still apply if South Korea no longer exists, and there is only one Korea, "best Korea"?

I imagine an army of lawyers can fight that one out in court for decades…………

I want to believe, but NK has pulled the rug out so many times on "deals", that I think it is ALL smoke and mirrors again, with trivial concessions by the Norks in order to make it look like there is progress. Makes Lucy's pulling the football out from Charlie Brown pale by comparison.

Backing up my assertion is the latest NK statement they'll NEVER trade their nukes for peace. Seems like perhaps we should take that statement at face value, especially when the Chinese and Russians are backing Kim, and don't want him to settle a peace treaty/deal with us.

How about letting the Koreans run their own countries/country, instead of interfering?

I agree. South Korea has a robust military; it's time for most of the US troops to come home.

Un-named sources = not-so-secret code word for "we just made this crap up".