North Korea warns of nuclear showdown, calls Pence 'political dummy'

[Nomad]

Meanwhile, Trump is busy tweet ranting about spies in his campaign in an ongoing attempt to discredit and deflect attention away from the investigation into it.

North Korea warns of nuclear showdown, calls Pence 'political dummy'

By Joshua Berlinger, CNN*

(CNN)A North Korean official has lashed out at US Vice President Mike Pence and said Pyongyang is ready for a nuclear showdown if dialogue with the United States fails.

Choe Son Hui, a vice-minister in the North Korean Foreign Ministry, said if the US continued on its current path, she would suggest to*North Korea's leadership that they reconsider the planned summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"Whether the US will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States," Choe said in comments carried by North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency Thursday.

Choe was responding to comments by Pence made*during a Fox News*interview that she deemed "unbridled and impudent."

View this interactive content on CNN.com

North Korea is known for its fiery rhetoric, but these latest comments are particularly noteworthy because they come directly from a high-ranking official and so close to the summit -- which is scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.

"It's clear that the North Koreans feel the White House doesn't get it," said Jean Lee, the director of the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy at the Wilson Center.

'Political dummy'

Choe took particular issue with Pence's remarks about US National Security Adviser John Bolton,*who said*the US would look to the negotiations with Libya during the early 2000s when dealing with North Korea.

"There was some talk about the Libya model," Pence told Fox News' Martha MacCallum. "As the President made clear, this will only end like the Libya model ended if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal."

When MacCallum said that some people may have seen Bolton's comments as a threat, Pence said "I think it's more of a fact."

North Korea has long cited Libya's case as the reason it needs nuclear weapons. Less than a decade after Moammar Gadhafi agreed to abandon its nuclear aspirations in a deal with the United States, he was ousted from power and killed with the help of NATO-backed forces.

"They (the North Koreans) are very proud, they don't like being bullied and they certainly don't like the repeated references to Libya and the repeated reference to its poverty," Lee said.

Adam Mount, the director of the Defense Posture Project at the Federation of American Scientists, believes Pence's comments were the "most explicit regime change threat yet" from the Trump administration.

"The Libya analogy is deliberately inflammatory. It never applied to North Korea and is useful neither to convey resolve or to set expectations on nuclear issues," he told CNN in an email.

Choe called Pence a "political dummy" for comparing Libya to North Korea. She said that Libya's nuclear program was in its early stages when it came to the negotiating table, while North Korea has spent years developing its nuclear weapons.

"As a person involved in the US affairs, I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the US vice president," she said.

Analysts believe that Choe, a diplomat who focuses on the US-North Korea relationship, is a rising star in North Korea's Foreign Ministry. She was reportedly promoted to vice minister earlier this year.

Why would they expect Pence to be anything but a 'political dummy' given that he's the number two man in the biggest crowd of dummies ever to occupy the WH???

[Jack]

iI think that if America
1. Leaves the Korean Peninsula. No more American Troops in Korea.
2. Creates a thousand mile 'Exclusion Zone' around the Korean Peninsula where American warships aren't allowed.
3. And looks the other way when Kim invades South Korea.

We could probably get a pretty good deal that North Korea won't bomb us into submission.

[kudzu]

Meanwhile, Trump is busy tweet ranting about spies in his campaign in an ongoing attempt to discredit and deflect attention away from the investigation into it.



Why would they expect Pence to be anything but a 'political dummy' given that he's the number two man in the biggest crowd of dummies ever to occupy the WH???

Good grief.. Pence is a bloody moron.

"There was some talk about the Libya model," Pence told Fox News' Martha MacCallum. "As the President made clear, this will only end like the Libya model ended if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal."

[Guno צְבִי]

Meanwhile, Trump is busy tweet ranting about spies in his campaign in an ongoing attempt to discredit and deflect attention away from the investigation into it.



Why would they expect Pence to be anything but a 'political dummy' given that he's the number two man in the biggest crowd of dummies ever to occupy the WH???

trump needs pence to keep the bible thumpers in line

[Cypress]

Good grief.. Pence is a bloody moron.

"There was some talk about the Libya model," Pence told Fox News' Martha MacCallum. "As the President made clear, this will only end like the Libya model ended if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal."

Violating the international nuclear agreement with Iran, and threatening to overthrow the government of North Korea and kill it's leaders sounds like a great way to build trust and kick off the summit in Singapore.

[kudzu]

Violating the international nuclear agreement with Iran, and threatening to overthrow the government of North Korea and kill it's leaders sounds like a great way to build trust and kick off the summit in Singapore.

This is like down the rabbit hole.. Are these dumbass bullies insane?

[dukkha]

North Korea has long cited Libya's case as the reason it needs nuclear weapons. Less than a decade after Moammar Gadhafi agreed to abandon its nuclear aspirations in a deal with the United States, he was ousted from power and killed with the help of NATO-backed forces.

NK is rightfully worried, and the Obama destruction of Libya is a case study in why NOT to trust the word of the USA.
Trump has had to make security assurances because of Libya ...
That said both Bolton and Pence need to #STFU

[goldkam]

NK is rightfully worried, and the Obama destruction of Libya is a case study in why NOT to trust the word of the USA.
Trump has had to make security assurances because of Libya ...
That said both Bolton and Pence need to #STFU

Trump I think has taken credit for far to much of the NK deal and has put his nose far too deep into the situation. Quite simply NK are not going to be bullied or overruled by the US, that is simple fact. The happenings have been a collaborative part of a number of nations including South Korea.

[Rat Robbersson]

iI think that if America
1. Leaves the Korean Peninsula. No more American Troops in Korea.
2. Creates a thousand mile 'Exclusion Zone' around the Korean Peninsula where American warships aren't allowed.
3. And looks the other way when Kim invades South Korea.

We could probably get a pretty good deal that North Korea won't bomb us into submission.

That's sounds like an offer that drump won't refuse.

[dukkha]

Trump I think has taken credit for far to much of the NK deal and has put his nose far too deep into the situation. Quite simply NK are not going to be bullied or overruled by the US, that is simple fact. The happenings have been a collaborative part of a number of nations including South Korea.

NK is worried about the "Libya model" -rightfully so.

[Rat Robbersson]

Trump, I think, has taken credit for far too much of the NK deal and has put his nose far too deep into the situation. Quite simply, NK is not going to be bullied or overruled by the US, that is simple fact. The happenings have been a collaborative part of a number of nations including South Korea.

[Rat Robbersson]

Violating the international nuclear agreement with Iran, and threatening to overthrow the government of North Korea and kill it's leaders sounds like a great way to build trust and kick off the summit in Singapore.

you forgot the roll eyes smiley.

[Rat Robbersson]

NK is worried about the "Libya model" -rightfully so.

They recognize a madman when they see one>drump.

[Rat Robbersson]

NK is rightfully worried, and the Obama destruction of Libya is a case study in why NOT to trust the word of the USA.
Trump has had to make security assurances because of Libya ...
That said both Bolton and Pence need to #STFU

From a reliable news source.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/08/w...sis-libya.html

I agree with the part about bolton and pence to STFU.

[Rune]

NK is rightfully worried, and the Obama destruction of Libya is a case study in why NOT to trust the word of the USA.
Trump has had to make security assurances because of Libya ...
That said both Bolton and Pence need to #STFU

Bolton was a wise selection.