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Sun, June 24, 2018 | 19:31

Opinion > Columnists > Donald Kirk >

To sanction or not to sanction?

The debate never stops. Pro -sanction people are saying the latest round of U.S. sanctions against the North may indeed bring enough pressure on Kim Jong-un to agree to talks about giving up his nukes and missiles. The anti-sanctionists say sanctions never work, and now, they say, Kim may be tempted to test still more missiles and nukes just to prove what a great and independent leader he is.

Donald Kirk | 2017-11-23 17:23

Trump's magical mystery tour

President Trump had to have had a great time during his 12-day journey to East Asian capitals. Everywhere he went he was treated like royalty. No hostile politicos taunting him, at least to his face, no nasty foes hurling epithets close range as he shuttled from one leader's center of power to another, no enemies in high places trying to cost him his job even if they disagreed with him. Oh, there were demonstrators here and there, candlelight vigilantes in Seoul trying to make themselves heard as his motorcade came and went, protesters in Manila battling police to let him know they wanted hi...

Donald Kirk | 2017-11-16 17:20

Trump talking tough

At least he gave it a shot. He really wanted to make it up to Panmunjom but was turned back by the weather. For most visitors, the fog that hung over the line between North and South Korea would not have been too much for a beautiful U.S. Air Force helicopter to navigate. It wasn’t as if there were high winds or a terrific downpour. The passenger in this case, however, was the president of the United States. Nobody wanted to take the remotest chance on the helicopter going down with the Trumpster himself on board.

Donald Kirk | 2017-11-09 17:28

Tear down that wall

Talk about missed opportunities. Donald Trump won't be visiting Panmunjom for the chance to glower across the line at the North Korean soldiers on the other side, wave a fist and shout, "I will destroy you." That’s too bad considering just about every other American president has made the trek up there from Seoul. They all went by helicopter, not fighting the traffic as most of us have to do. I'm sure the Trumpster could summon one even if it's not on the itinerary. Think about it. Wouldn’t it be great to see and hear him sounding off on the "evil empire" as he stares right at it?

Donald Kirk | 2017-11-07 17:31

Facing the summit

Donald Trump faces obstacles when he gets to Seoul next week that have nothing to do with unruly mobs trying to shout loudly enough over mega-loudspeakers for him to hear them across rows of policemen in body armor. No doubt Trump's handlers will come up with the proper verbiage to reaffirm the historic bond between the two countries. Words and phrases like "ironclad" and "no daylight between us" come to mind. That's the American equivalent to the weird Chinese "as close as the lips to the teeth." Comforting statements gushing from the Trumpster and his entourage might remind us of another l...

Donald Kirk | 2017-11-02 17:39

Japan's militarist dreams

TOKYO - The overwhelming success of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the latest elections for members of the Japanese “Diet” - the peculiar word for Japan’s parliament or national assembly - portends hardening of tensions and priorities in Northeast Asia. Yes, Abe would dearly like to revise Japan’s post-war “peace constitution” whose Article 9 declares “land, sea and air force will never be maintained” and “belligerency of the state will not be recognized” (hence the term “self-defense forces” for Japan’s military establishment). In fact, one reason Abe called the snap election was to shore up ...

Donald Kirk | 2017-10-26 17:13

Showing off military might

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 frighten anyone contemplating war on the Korean Peninsula. They’re parked near spacious exhibition halls where manufacturers from dozens of nations show off aircraft components, and entire planes and helicopters, for potential buyers from around the world.

Donald Kirk | 2017-10-19 17:22

Running with the nuclear football

Donald Trump at times engages in such flights of rhetorical fancy that a lot of people think he’s crazy or anyway unpredictable. How can you be sure of a president who talks about destroying North Korea, who holds out “the military option” - but professes to want to avoid conflict? There are two schools of thought about the Trumpster. Just about every college professor, like the columnists for the New York Times and Washington Post, thinks he’s unhinged and we’d better watch out, no telling what will happen. Then there are those who believe he’s crazy like a fox, that he may act and talk cra...

Donald Kirk | 2017-10-12 17:45

Declaring war and peace

North Korea has been crying wolf so often it's hard to get too excited by the "declaration of war" North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho made in New York this week.

Donald Kirk | 2017-09-28 17:34

Trump's war of words

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 threaten annihilation of a country torn apart by U.S. warplanes in the first Korean War. If nothing else, Trump’s speech at the UN General Assembly will be remembered as one of those classic moments at which a head of state spoke for shock effect to a more or less captive audience. His words were reminiscent of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in 1960 banging...

Donald Kirk | 2017-09-21 17:03

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