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Rex Tillerson Rejects Talks with North Korea on Nuclear Program

Doesn’t Care Whether Kim Jung Un “Likes it or Not”

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson ruled out on Friday opening any negotiation with the North to freeze its nuclear and missile programs and said for the first time that the Trump administration will take pre-emptive action “regardless of whether Kim Jung Un likes it or not.”

The secretary of state’s comments were the Trump administration’s first public hint at the options being considered, and they made clear that none involved negotiations or a peaceful settlement.

“The policy of strategic patience has ended,” Mr. Tillerson said, a reference used by the Obama administration to describe a policy of waiting out the North Koreans while gradually ratcheting up sanctions and covert action.

“The only thing we can do is to threaten to bomb them,” he continued, while stressing that “South Korea will pay for it.”

Seoul’s Foreign Minister, Yun Byung-se, appeared visibly uncomfortable when asked how Seoul interpreted the Trump Administration’s new position. 

“I believe Mr. Tillerson’s visit today is a testament to the importance of the R.O.K.-U.S. alliance, and the close partnership that we enjoy,” Mr. Yun said.

Mr. Yun’s time as Foreign Minister will end in May, as new elections were called last week after South Korea’s Constitutional Court ruled to uphold the National Assembly’s impeachment of President Park Geun-Hye. 

Observers remarked that Mr. Yun’s comments appeared to reflect the current government’s desire to pass the buck to the next administration. 

Mr. Tillerson’s premise that South Korea would pay for any military conflict appears to be based on realities that Seoul, the South Korean capital of over 10 million, is within striking distance of North Korean artillery.

A former Department of Defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid angering President Trump on Twitter, said that any attack by the North on Seoul would have devastating consequences.

“A nuclear war on the Korean peninsula would ultimately result in millions of deaths over months, if not within weeks,” the former official said. “Because South Korea is only the size of Indiana and has a population of over 50 million people, there wouldn’t be anywhere for them to go.”

He went on to warn that any escalation of conflict could quickly lead to a full-blown world war between the U.S. and an increasingly assertive China and Russia. 

There are growing concerns in Seoul that the Trump administration may use these realities to strong arm South Korea, it’s ally, into a rock and a hard place.

The New York Times recently reported on leaks alleging that during a National Security Council meeting last month, President Trump’s chief strategist, Stephen K. Bannon, recommended the Administration consider simply dropping a nuclear bomb on Pyongyang "to wipe out the crazies.” 

Reports suggested this approach would be the most cost-effective way to wipe out enemies without dedicating ground forces. The idea of humanitarian aid in the resulting chaos was immediately shelved.

Sources also said Mr. Bannon believes the U.S. could force South Korea to pay for the nuclear bomb by refusing to purchase Hyundai or Samsung products for a few years.

Mr. Tillerson is due to arrive in Beijing on Saturday as part of his first overseas trip to Asia. Meanwhile, he shortened “diplomatic consultations and public events” in Seoul due to “fatigue”.

[youleadforeignpolicybyyou-blog]

America First

A Foreign Policy to Make America Great Again

A MESSAGE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE:

The American people elected me to fight for their priorities in Washington, D.C. and deliver on my promise to protect our Nation. I fully intend to keep that promise.

One of the most important ways the Federal Government Puts America First is through the levers of our Foreign Policy. That is why I have instructed my Secretary of State, Rex W. Tillerson, to initiate YOU LEAD: FOREIGN POLICY, BY YOU.

YOU LEAD: FOREIGN POLICY, BY YOU demonstrates my Administration’s commitment to reassert the proper role of what has become a sprawling American leadership and to not reduce deficit spending. It reflects an increased reliance on the private sector – FOREIGN POLICY, BY YOU – to position American withdrawal from the world.

Our aim is to meet the simple, but crucial demand of our citizens – a Government that drains the swamp of our diplomats and puts the need of its people last. For too long, the coastal elite have pursued a foreign policy much too reasonable, prudent, and peaceful. With your support, we will set the dreams of every American free, and we will begin a new chapter of American retreat from the world.

We must ensure that our courageous servicemen and women have the tools they need to deter Muslims, and when called upon to fight, do only one thing: Shoot.

In these dangerous times, YOU LEAD: FOREIGN POLICY, BY YOU will send a message to the world – a message of American bigotry, racism, and prejudice.

It is time to prioritize the security and well-being of Americans, and ask the rest of the world to pay for everything.

I look forward to engaging with YOU LEAD: FOREIGN POLICY, BY YOU.

The idea for YOU LEAD: FOREIGN POLICY, BY YOU was inspired by Zack Parsons.