Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Questions About Kim Jong Un


President Trump will meet with Kim Jong Un in June. Their summit has been planned on an extraordinarily fast timeline, and it's unclear what kind of agreement is contemplated. I assume that Kim will promise to halt North Korea's nuclear weapon program, in exchange for economic concessions from the United States.

615. At what age did Kim learn that he would become the leader of North Korea?

616. How many individuals within the North Korean government have a significant influence on Kim? Of these individuals, how many agree with his "rapid fire" Trumpian diplomacy?

617. Does Kim read much? Who are his leadership role models?

618. Which country poses a more immediate threat to the United States: Iran or North Korea? And which poses a more significant long term threat?

619. If Trump agrees to anything short of a permanent ban on nuclear development by North Korea, wouldn't he be contradicting one of his central critiques of Obama's deal with Iran?

 
This is a video that I found on You Tube, showing scenes from Pyongyang. I am uncertain whether it's a propaganda video made by the government. The street scenes -- in particular, the apartment blocks -- are reminiscent of St. Petersburg.