Free Republic

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J. (AP) — President Donald Trump said Saturday that North Korea's Kim Jong Un wants to meet once again to "start negotiations" after joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises end. He also said Kim apologized for the flurry of recent short-range missile tests that has rattled U.S. allies in the region. Trump is tweeting more details from the "beautiful" three-page letter he told reporters on Friday that he'd received from Kim. Trump, who is on vacation at his golf club in New Jersey, said Kim spent much of his letter complaining about "the ridiculous and expensive exercises," which North...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said this week's missile launches were an "adequate warning" against the joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States that kicked off earlier this week, state media reported Wednesday. On Tuesday, North Korea fired two projectiles believed to be short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, the fourth such launch in less than two weeks. They flew about 450 kilometers across the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). "Two tactical guided missiles launched at the operational airfield in the western area of the country flew...

With the hot-button word “socialism” sparking intense political debate as Americans brace for the 2020 presidential election, two U.S. economists have completed a global drinking tour – and a book already at the top of Amazon's "beer" category – warning that the socialist lure could lead to a drastic dry-up of the country’s adult beverages. “Socialism Sucks: Two Economists Drink Their Way Through the Unfree World,” by Robert Lawson and Benjamin Powell, is billed as a “worldwide tour guide written in plain English” which takes readers on a not-so-luxurious expedition into three countries that have embraced socialism – North Korea,...

A left-wing charity organization with unknown sources of money is providing the funding for protests around the country — some of which have turned into violent riots — that have threatened a divided nation’s ability to unify after a contentious presidential election. The Progress Unity Fund is a tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization — the same classification as the Red Cross. The group’s mission is to “provide a progressive alternative to mainstream charities,” according to its IRS filings. The fund provides the financial backing for Act Now To Stop War & End Racism (ANSWER) Coalition, a left-wing activist group that began organizing...

NSC expresses grave concern over North Korea test By Jung Da-min North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) into the East Sea, Wednesday morning, the latest in a series of missile tests off its eastern coastal area since May. These latest launches came six days after a similar test of two missiles last week. Hours after the missile tests, Cheong Wa Dae convened an emergency National Security Council (NSC), presided over by National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong. "We expressed grave concerns over the firing of the missiles, which could have a negative impact on peace-building efforts," the presidential office...

For New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, last Friday was long in coming — the day a federal prosecutor announced that after nearly a year investigating alleged corruption in the awarding of state contracts, he had wrapped up the case without any indictments. The investigation had cast a cloud over Richardson, scuttling a job in the Obama Cabinet and putting in doubt his political future. But even as Richardson and his allies proclaimed his “vindication” and predicted it would catapult him back onto the national stage, the prosecutor handling the case wouldn’t let the matter fade. U.S. Attorney Greg Fouratt fired...

Tucker Carlson discussed Kim Jong Un's health with a medical contributor tonight after the Fox News host — who traveled with President Donald Trump to the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) this weekend — noticed that the North Korean leader was "breathing heavily and sweating after walking just a few yards." During a segment on Tucker Carlson Live Monday, the host asked medical contributor, Dr. Marc Siegel, to weigh in on whether Kim's behavior at his meeting with Trump on Sunday "suggest serious health concerns that would affect, in the coming years, international diplomacy." "We noticed at the DMZ meeting, cause...

John Bolton, President Donald Trump's famously hawkish national security adviser, could not have been enthusiastic when his boss crossed into North Korean territory last weekend to make a bit of history with the leader of the Pyongyang regime, Kim Jong Un. For years, Bolton has warned against conciliatory gestures or negotiations with North Korea. Two months before he took his current job, Bolton argued in an op-ed for a preemptive strike on North Korea based on what he called an "imminent" threat. Now Trump's latest diplomatic gambit with North Korea has raised fresh questions about the influence of his national...

Interesting. Check out his Twitter.

The candidates in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary put aside their squabbles on Sunday - sort of - to focus on a common enemy: President Trump. From former Vice President Joe Biden to former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, the Democratic hopefuls derided Trump’s third meeting with North Korean strongman Kim Jong Un – accusing the president of everything from “coddling” dictators to posing for a photo opportunity. “President Trump’s coddling of dictators at the expense of American national security and interests is one of the most dangerous ways that he’s diminishing us on the world stage...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un received a "personal letter" from President Donald Trump, according to North Korean state news agency KCNA. KCNA reported that Kim "said with satisfaction that the letter is of excellent content," after reading it. "Kim Jong Un said that he would seriously contemplate the serious content" and appreciated the "extraordinary courage of President Trump," KCNA added. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

North Korea’s tyrant ordered his death after he was accused of planning a coup. Kim had a giant fish tank built inside Ryongsong Residence, .....The victim’s arms and torso were cut open with knives before he was thrown into the tank. it's unclear whether the general was killed by the fish, died from his wounds or drowned. The researchers are believed to have come up with several execution methods designed to scare potential plotters. It's believed they got the idea from the1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me,.... Kim’s aquarium is filled with several hundred piranhas imported from...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for a "full combat posture" as state media yesterday released photos showing missiles being fired during a long-range strike drill conducted by Pyongyang. The photos came a day after it tested two short-range missiles. Analysts said the regime may have developed a new missile that is easier to hide, harder to strike down and capable of hitting all of South Korea.

The Trump administration says it has seized a North Korean cargo ship that U.S. officials say was used to transport coal in violation of international sanctions. The Justice Department announced the seizure Thursday of the Wise Honest. The ship was detained by Indonesia last month with two dozen crew members on board. U.S. officials say payments for maintenance and equipment for the ship were made unwittingly in American dollars through U.S. banks. The announcement was made at a time of tension between the two countries. It came hours after North Korea fired two suspected short-range missiles in its second weapons...

North Korea has test-fired at least one unidentified projectile from a missile base just five days after its first rocket and missile launch since 2017. The projectile was launched from a medium-range ballistic missile base as South Korean, American and Japanese officials meet in Seoul to discuss North Korea amid fears that tensions could escalate again. South Korea's military said the projectile was fired from Sino-ri in an eastwards direction at 4.30pm local time on Thursday.

Original in Japanese: 北朝鮮の飛翔体、弾道ミサイルか　国連制裁違反の可能性 ("North Korean Launch, Could Possibly Be Ballistic Missile, and Possible UN Violation") Two paragraph synopsis from the original Japanese--my translation (breaking): "Kim Jong Un personally oversaw the launch of projectiles yesterday from the east coast of North Korea into the Sea of Japan. Now based on photo analysis of the launch from images provided by official North Korean news sources, South Korean military specialists have analyzed the vehicle, and a viewpoint is emerging the launch yesterday was, in fact, likely a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions against North Korea launching such ballistic missiles." "...

Basically leading with short dispatches saying the North Koreans did this at around 0906 am local Saturday (8:06 pm eastern USA) in Korea/Japan, about 90 minutes ago, into the Sea of Japan, traveling 70 to 200 kilometers from a launch site near Wonsan on DPRK east coast. (Report in Japanese—because fast breaking) Conservative Sankei Shimbun news, Tokyo

If North Korea is given security guarantees, Kim Jong Un would be willing to denuclearize, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after talks with Kim on Thursday. Their first face-to-face meeting took place on Russky Island in eastern Russia. No major agreements came out of the meeting between the two leaders. But they said they were satisfied with the talks, which lasted two hours — twice as long as originally planned. According to Putin, they exchanged opinions on what should be done to improve the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Kim described the conversation as "candid and meaningful." Russian state TV...

It's a short hop from Pyongyang to Vladivostok by plane. There's even a semi-regular flight. But for his first summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has once again opted to go by train... Kim is reportedly traveling with a big entourage — possibly more than 200 people — and lots of supplies. His train, unmistakable with its dark green paint job and yellow piping, is perfect for that. It's built like a tank. Its cars are equipped with advanced communications and flat-screen TVs so he can give orders and receive news and briefings...

Weeks after the collapse of the summit between Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, the North Korean leader finally broke his silence. In a speech heavily focused on foreign affairs delivered to the Supreme People’s Assembly – North Korea’s pro forma parliament – Kim made clear his position. He said that a third summit with Trump wasn’t off the table just yet, but getting there would require evidence that the U.S. position on sanctions relief more seriously. To this end, Kim also echoed a message he had originally delivered during his New Year’s Day address: that...