Mike Pompeo floats prospect of officially ending Korean War ahead of Trump-Kim summit

From CBS News



NEW YORK-- Given the Trump administration's goal of a complete, verifiable denuclearization of North Korea during President Trump's first term, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is eager to maintain U.S.-North Korean engagement. As he prepares for upcoming discussions with the North Koreans, he is leaving one tool conspicuously on the table: the prospect of an official declaration to end the Korean War.

"It's hard to know. I don't want to prejudge precisely where we'll end up," Pompeo said this week when asked if President Trump and Kim Jong Un could sign a declaration to end the war at their next summit. "But make no mistake about it, there is real progress being made."

By leaving open the possibility, Pompeo is affirming that the U.S. is open to some form of negotiation with the North Koreans to achieve denuclearization -- and he's showing up armed with more than just demands. The Trump administration, which argues its efforts have averted war, insists it will press forward with the conversations with North Korea after a late summer stall in the dialogue.

Mr. Trump has said his next meeting with Kim will happen "in the not too distant future," at a "location to be determined" -- but not Singapore.

COMMENT:-

I think that this would be a positive occurrence. The two Koreas have been in talks and warming up to each other. We should have an official end to the US war against North Korea, take out US troops, and encourage better relations between the Koreas in hopes of reunification.

Mr. Invisible said:

I think that this would be a positive occurrence. The two Koreas have been in talks and warming up to each other. We should have an official end to the US war against North Korea, take out US troops, and encourage better relations between the Koreas in hopes of reunification.

Click to expand...

You know I was right with you until I hit the "official end to the US war against North Korea".

There is not now, nor has there ever been, a "US war against North Korea". Since there is no "US war against North Korea", there is no need to END any "US war against North Korea".

What UNSC Resolution 82 DID DO, was to call upon all nations to assist the ROK in "repelling an invasion" and to call upon the DPRK to "return its troops north of the ROK/DPRK demarcation line".

To understand the current situation under UNSC Resolution 82, you have to understand two things:

1. there is NO LONGER any invasion; and
2. the DPRK troops ARE on the northern side of the demarcation line.

Since BOTH of the stated objectives of UNSC Resolution 82 have been accomplished, UNSC Resolution is "spent".

FYI, the UN Command for Korea consists of four people (with an Australian Major in command and a Canadian Captain as 2ic) NONE of whom are Americans and NONE of whom are stationed in Korea.

What military forces do exist in the ROK is the Joint ROK/US Military Command which, by law, is always commanded by an American (despite the fact that the ratio of American military personnel to ROK military personnel is roughly 1 to 30).

[ASIDE - You might find it interesting to note that the ratio of British to Native troops in Imperial India was around 1 to 7 and that there was no disputing whether India or Britain was actually running things.]