Announcing the Obvious

Today,  April 21th, most news agencies reported with (sometimes) triumphalism that Kim has finally bent and announced he is leaving his armament, nuclear plan and dismantling the site.

Wow right? Great news uh?

Only that there have been not any test since last September when they announced to have achieved the objectives. Ah yes… the nuclear facilities had the tunnel collapsed too (something worth reading here).

Here's a bit of Ri Chun Hee announcing North Korea's plans to halt ICBM and nuclear testing, dismantle its nuclear test site. Broadcast moments ago on North Korean television. pic.twitter.com/Yj0bFY8HJS

— Martyn Williams (@martyn_williams) April 21, 2018

How did the world react?

Well comments to this news have varied. I have read happiness and pride for a dictator to have (supposedly) bent to international (read USA) will, like this

A message from Kim Jong Un: “North Korea will stop nuclear tests and launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles.”
Also will “Shut down a nuclear test site in the country’s Northern Side to prove the vow to suspend nuclear tests.” Progress being made for all!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21, 2018

to skepticism like the one below…

Call me a cynic, but based on history, 1) they’ll suspend today and begin again tomorrow 2) they have alternative ways/sites to carry out their mission and 3) they’re lying now or will lie tomorrow. This is how NK behaves. Remember the Agreed Framework. https://t.co/u6mffd4ZvY

— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) April 21, 2018

I repeat my point: he committed to something already effective since September. Nothing new, except that NOW YOU ARE LISTENING! He is making (the world) knows it announcing it AGAIN and putting the face of Ri Chun Hee for it. It calls world attention.

Kim knows how to play his cards, don’t let yourself to be tricked by a foreign politician too and dictators are master of propaganda. Using out of their own country is simply PR. Ok now you realize what I am pointing at? He gives you the news you want to read. And that Trump needs.

By the way when you are at the negotiating table and they ask you to commit to something you have already announced to the world (not less), well… you are starting the summit as the “good” guy, the one with the will to cooperate. The others are the problematic right? They could appear as the one making obstacles and they are the one with an electorate… so in a way this announcement is a way to start the negotiation forcing the other part(s) to be kind and willing to (maybe) unreasonable requests.

It is all Public Relations and very good ones. Kim has shown us that he is on a damn good PR offensive. I wonder who is behind it.

Another take from all this: Kim Jong-un IS NOT Kim Jong-il. Do you expect him to backtrack? Possible, but he is not the father (the one behind the problems with the Carte-Kim Il-sung agreement). KJI was a ruthless skilled political dictator in XX century style. His son is different. He surely fought to hold his position, he won or he is winning. Now he wants what he did not have when he was a kid, the fame, the glory, the international stage.

PS: for more details on the announcement look at this thread

Here's KCNA with six points from Kim Jong-un. The Punggye-ri test site will close *because* North Korea feels it has conducted sufficient testing and is happy with its weapons. That's important context here. pic.twitter.com/uRlu30LG2O

— Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) April 20, 2018

And for who speaks Italian

Editoriale sul Foglio di oggi. Dopo i recenti sviluppi, mi sembra ancora attuale #interkoreansummit #NorthKorea pic.twitter.com/amDY5NhSPk

— Giulia Pompili (@giuliapompili) April 21, 2018