PETE: THE LIBERAL MEDIA NOT
HOLDING BACK FOR MAKING KIM
JONG-UN’S SISTER THEIR SHINING
STAR AT THE OLYMPICS, BUT A KEY
POINT MISSING FROM THEIR
COVERAGE, THE FACT HER FAMILY
HOLDS ONE OF THE WORST HUMAN
RIGHTS RECORDS IN THE WORLD.
HERE TO BREAK IT DOWN RETIRED
CIA STATION CHIEF AND VP AT SPG,
DANIEL HOFFMAN.
DANIEL, YOU KNOW ABOUT THE
NATURE OF THIS REGIME SO WHEN
YOU HEAR THE FAWNING COVERAGE
FROM THE SO-CALLED MAINSTREAM
MEDIA, HOW DISCONNECTED IS IT
FROM THE REALITY OF WHAT FOLKS
LIVE WITHIN NORTH KOREA?
>> WELL, I DON’T KNOW THAT KIM
JONG-UN COULD HAVE WRITTEN
ANYTHING BETTER HIMSELF.
IT’S WORTH REMEMBERING THAT HIS
SISTER HAS BEEN THE DIRECTOR OF
PROPAGANDA AND AGITATION
DEPARTMENT SINCE JULY OF 2015
AND JUST A FEW MONTHS BACK WAS
ELEVATED TO A MORE PROMINENT
POSITION IN THE NORTH KOREAN
BUREAU RIGHT AROUND THE TIME OUR
SANCTIONS WERE STARTING TO STING
THE GOVERNMENT.
SO THERE’S A MEANS FOR HIM TO
TRY TO DRIVE A WEDGE BETWEEN THE
UNITED STATES AND SOUTH KOREA.
WE SAW THREE HOURS OF
NEGOTIATION ALREADY BETWEEN
SOUTH KOREA AND NORTH KOREAN
REPRESENTATIVES THERE WAS NO
DISCUSSION OF SCRAPPING THE
NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR PROGRAM
WHICH HAS BEEN OUR POLICY BUT
RATHER THE SOUTH KOREANS WERE
SAYING THAT WE NEED TO SAYING TO
THE NORTH KOREANS THAT THEY
SHOULD PURSUE TALKS WITH THE
UNITED STATES.
SOUTH KOREA IS A DEMOCRACY WHILE
THE OPPOSITION IN SOUTH KOREA
FAVORS SCRAPPING THE NUCLEAR
NORTH KOREA’S NUCLEAR CAPABILITY
AND THE PENINSULA, PRESIDENT
MOON IS A STRONG COMPONENT OF
THE SO-CALLED SUNSHINE POLICY
AND AGAIN NORTH KOREA IS SEEKING
TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT AND
LOOK, YOU KNOW, KIM JONG-UN’S
FOUND THE RIGHT PERSON TO DO IT.
PETE: ABSOLUTELY FOUND THE RIGHT
MEDIA AS WELL SO IF HIS SISTER
IS THE HEAD OF PROPAGANDA I
ASSUME SHE DOESN’T TALK THAT
MUCH ABOUT THE FACT THERE ARE
BETWEEN 80 AND 120,000 PEOPLE IN
PRISON FOR POLITICAL PRISON CAMP
S IN NORTH KOREA.
>> YEAH, I THINK YOU’D LIKE TO
SEE SOMEONE HOLD HER TO SOME
TOUGH QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT,
ABOUT THE HUMANITARIAN
CATASTROPHE THAT IS NORTH KOREA
OR THE DANGER THAT NORTH KOREA
POSES TO ITS OWN REGION AND
BEYOND BY PURSUING THIS NUCLEAR
WEAPONS PROGRAM AND ICBM’S.
SHE DOES HAVE A POSITION OF
QUITE SIGNIFICANT AUTHORITY IN
THE GOVERNMENT AND YOU’D LIKE TO
SEE THEM HOLD HER TO ANSWER SOME
HARD QUESTIONS ASIDE FROM BEING
JUST A MANTEL PIECE.
PETE: OF COURSE SHE KEEPS THAT
POSITION BECAUSE SHE’S FAWNING
TO HER BROTHER BECAUSE IF SHE
CUTS THE OTHER WAY HE WILL KILL
HER AS WE KNOW OTHERWISE.
THIS IS THE NATURE OF THAT
REGIME.
IT’S HOW UNHEALTHFUL IS IT TO A
RESOLUTION ON THAT PENINSULA
PREVENTING NUCLEAR WEAPONS THAT
CAN BE DELIVERED TO OUR SOURCE
HOW UNHEALTHFUL IS FAWNING OVER
THEM OR PROMOTING PEACE TALKS
THAT JUST DELAY THE TIMELINE.
>> I THINK IT’S ON US, THE
UNITED STATES, JUST TO HOLD
NORTH KOREA ACCOUNTABLE FOR
THEIR HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE
AND THE DANGER OF THE NUCLEAR
CONTINUE TO PURSUE WITH
WRECKLESS ABANDONMENT AND I ALSO
THINK THAT IT’S CLEAR THAT NORTH
KOREA IS TRYING TO DRIVE A WEDGE
AMONG THE DIFFERENT ACTORS
INVOLVED US AND SOUTH KOREA SO
WE IMMEDIATE TO PULL SOUTH KOREA
CLOSER AND HIGHLIGHT THE
NECESSITY REALLY OF HAVING A
COHESIVE STRATEGY TOGETHER WHICH
DOES INVOLVE CONTINUED MAXIMUM
DIPLOMATIC AND ECONOMIC PRESSURE
ON NORTH KOREA.
PETE: DANIEL, WE SEE NORTH AND
SOUTH KOREA WALKING UNDER A
UNIFIED FLAG.
IS THERE ANY SCENARIO WHEN KIM
JONG-UN IN THE NORTH UNIFIES THE
THEY WANT IT UNDER THEIR RULE.
>> YEAH, I DON’T SEE THAT,
THAT’S WHY HE’S PURSUING HIS
NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM AND
BEYOND THAT HE KNOWS HE HAS A
DEGREE OF DETER ANSWER.
WE HAVEN’T ATTACKED NORTH KOREA
COGNIZANT OF THE MASSIVE
POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGE TO THE
REGION FROM JUST NORTH KOREA’S
CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS.
I THINK HE’S PURSUING THE
NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND THE ICBM
CAPABILITIES SO THAT HE CAN
MAYBE HIMSELF SEEK TO UNIFY THE
PENINSULA UNDER HIS OWN TERMS.
ABSOLUTELY THAT’S THE BENEFITS
OF HAVING THE NUCLEAR WEAPONS IS
THAT THE UNITED STATES IN HIS
MIND MIGHT NOT TAKE ACTION.
PETE: IT’S A HUGE CARD THEY CAN