In a major move to improve communications along the demilitarized zone, North and South Korea have opened the joint liaison office in Kaesong on Friday. This move comes just days before the third Kim-Moon summit between the nations’ respective leaders.
The liaison office was said to be facing a possible delay in the fact of US opposition, with the State Department saying that providing electricity and functioning heat to such an office might amount to a violation of US energy sanctions.
The office was originally imagined as primarily facilitating South Korean corporations’ operations at Kaesong Industrial Park. Now though, it will also serve as a de facto joint embassy for both nations, allowing for a direct permanent diplomatic link.
South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun says both nations will have a permanent set of negotiation representatives at the office, and will hold weekly meetings on advancing diplomatic progress between the two.
Oh yeah! This is going to really piss off the neo-cons! Love it.
I wish Trump would P.O. the neocons in Syria too
“North Korea Liaison Office Shows US South Korea Fissures… the relationship between South Korea and the U.S. will be on the line.” – Bloomberg
A diplomatic office in Korea can’t have light and heat without the US giving its blessing?! The US government is eager to keep the very real potential of renewed war in place, one that would kill millions of Koreans, as a bargaining chip.
It’s time for S Korea to openly disregard their relations with the US in order to improve relations with their neighbors, creating potential allies who aren’t indifferent to the possibility of millions of their people dying. When your allies are bullies, you’re better off making friends with old enemies who may actually respect you.
I’m sure China has already done this, disregarded the illegal sanctions on fuel and food that the USA has imposed.
The US tries to prevent South Korea from making progress with the North. Telling. It is neocon designs, not South Korean concerns, that are driving Bolton and Co. in their dodge-em car diplomacy.
Koreans simply need a mutual defense pact….then, bye bye USA
PJ London a year ago
Just imagine for one moment that Moon (SK) decided to do an East-West Germany. He goes to Kim and says “Let us just get rid of the border. We can easily accommodate the N Korean people and bring a massive increase in living standards without impacting the South. We guarantee that no crimes of any kind will be raised against anyone from NK and that your resources and people will be developed but not be exploited. We will give you an equal voice in the parliament for 10 years, not a dominant one but also not a subservient one.”
The world would go bananas. Half would claim it the most wonderful thing to ever happen and half would say it is the end of the world. But for sure, it would be a whole new world, just imagine talking and doing the right thing without threats and blackmail.
The world is rejecting US hegemony and empire building. Washington’s oligarchy has repulsed even long-time allies like the EU with decades of broken treaties, illegal wars and occupations, millions of casualties, and global chaos. Kill the dollar, and American power evaporates shortly thereafter. Even idiots like John Bolton and Nikki Haley understand this, hence their squeals of “dire consequences” for sovereign countries resolving their own problems without bloodshed- or American involvement.
Wonder why this didn’t occur during 0bama’s admin?
I wonder why, it is occurring now?
Do you have a clue?
If the Korea’s reunite, it will be in spite of US foreign policy, not because of it. For the companies selling bombs and bullets, peace is bad for business. Likewise, the EU has rejected American sanctions against Iran- watch for ‘something’ to occur a few days before the mid-term elections when Trump’s moratorium on that goes into effect.
For 30 years the North- South Korea deadlock
has been pushing everyone to the brink of war.
Now peace is the objective and only because Trump had the NADS to call fat-boy Kim’s bluff.
Re. your “something”, wrong again.
Neocons/neolibs shouting and waving hands like Robby robot at the Korean people talking and moving toward peace.
Whatever moves anyone makes for peace and cooperation, the USA is always there to ensure it does not succeed.