Pompeo's meat obsession

These are two columns about U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently previewed online ― ED.

By Oh Young-jin

Is U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo a steak man or a pork man?

It is unclear whether he is for either, but there is no doubt he is a "meat man."

Also unclear is the effectiveness of his meaty metaphor regarding North Korea.

In a way, it is an open question how Kim Jong-un, the North's leader, has been able not to feel insulted by Pompeo's references.

On Wednesday, Pompeo told "CBS This Morning," "We are not going to buy a pig in a poke."

His "pig" reference comes in the context: "We're working our way toward making sure of this verification that we have talked about since the beginning."

Pompeo most likely meant to use the pig idiom to ensure the North denuclearizes and it is verified, but left just enough of a hint that it could refer to the North itself.

There have been no suggestions that the North took it as an insult, because it did not cancel its invitation for Pompeo to visit Pyongyang.

His Pyongyang visit was finalized after a flurry of positive developments that started at the third summit between President Moon Jae-in and the North Korean leader. This led Trump to heap praise on Kim and raised the possibility of a second meeting.

Pompeo's remark becomes a little clearer when a previous remark is taken into account.

In a May 13 Fox News interview ahead of the June 12 Kim-Trump summit, Pompeo said the U.S. could provide, "All things the North Korean people need ― including the capacity for American agriculture to support North Korea so they can eat meat and have healthy lives."

This meat remark carried the greater risk of misunderstanding by the North because it signified the North's inability to feed its people and at the same time showed the disdain with which the U.S. saw the North. The North did not officially react to this remark.

Kim is not as sensitive about face as his compatriots, thanks to his Western education, but it is Asian etiquette not to talk about others' diets. Offering to improve it, whether by adding beef or pork, can be taken as presumptuous and insulting.

Besides, Koreans do not rely on meat as much as Westerners. Perhaps staying away from their dietary customs will help Pompeo make greater progress during his Pyongyang trip in October.

Pompeo's curse

Did U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo use profanity when he spoke to Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha during their recent telephone conversation?

Minister Kang's answer was not clear-cut, leaving room for different interpretations.

Of course, if Pompeo indeed cursed or used profanities, it would mean a major violation of diplomatic protocol, an attack on sovereignty ― therefore he should apologize.

Rep. Jung Jin-seok of the main conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party asked Kang whether Pompeo expressed his discontent by using harsh words.

In response, Kang said: "I wouldn't define them to be harsh."

Jung then asked: "Did he use American slurs?"

Kang: "That was clearly not the case."

Kang explained that Pompeo was not fully briefed so asked many questions, which Kang answered as well as she could.

The parliamentary session followed Japanese media reports that Pompeo and by extension the U.S. were not informed in advance of the agreement to set up no-fly zones at inter-Korean borders, made during the third summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang last month.

The Nihon Keizai newspaper reported that Pompeo had reproved Kang for her failure to inform him, angrily telling her that she did not know what she was doing.

The report was correct, except that the conversation took place just before the Sept. 18-20 summit, not after it.

In all likelihood, Seoul told Washington of the no-fly zones but without enough consultation.

Then, the way Kang explained the situation indicated Pompeo didn't address Kang by using curse words but used expletives contextually to convey his anger.

It would be best for Pompeo to clarify whether he used improper language.

If he did, he should apologize. If he didn't, his clarification would suffice.

Korea and the U.S. have been allies in good times and bad. If that tradition of alliance is kept, manners are adhered to, or it could end up among the first cracks that lead to its collapse.

Oh Young-jin (foolsdie5@koreatimes.co.kr, foolsdie@gmail.com) is the digital managing editor of The Korea Times.

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