YOU RIGHT NOW IS -- >> UNREAL.
>> UNREAL.
>> -- JUST CHILLING.
UNBELIEVABLE.
THANK YOU.
AND THANKS TO YOU AT HOME FOR
JOINING US THIS HOUR.
GLAD TO HAVE YOU WITH US.
LOTS OF NEWS GOING ON.
HERES YOUR POP QUIZ. NORTH KOREA.OP QUIZ.
NORTH KOREA. NORTH KOREA HAS BORDERS WITH
THREE OTHER COUNTRIES. WHAT ARE THE THREE OTHER
COUNTRIES?
COUNTRIES?
I WILL SPOT YOU THE FIRST TWO.
OBVIOUSLY, NORTH KOREA HAS A BORDER WITH SOUTH KOREA, ONE OF
THE MOST FAMOUS BORDERS ON
EARTH.
EARTH.
IT FEATURES A REAL LIVE DMZ. ITS ONE OF THE MOST FRAUGHT.
ITS ONE OF THE MOST FRAUGHT CONFLICT LINES ON THE PLANET,
AND IT HAS BEEN FOR DECADES.
SO THATS ONE OF THE TWO I WILL SPOT YOU.ONE OF THE TWO I WILL
SPOT YOU. OBVIOUSLY, NORTH KOREA BORDERS
SOUTH KOREA.
SOUTH KOREA.
NORTH KOREA ALSO BORDERS CHINA.
NORTH KOREAN BORDER WITH CHINA
IS WAY LONGER THAN ITS BORDER
WITH SOUTH KOREA.
THE LENGTH OF THAT BORDER, THE 23 DIFFERENT ROAD CROSSINGSTHE
23 DIFFERENT ROAD CROSSINGS ACROSS THAT NORTH KOREA-CHINA
BORDER, ALL THOSE THINGS MAKE
CHINA ACUTELY INTERESTED IN
NORTH KOREAN AFFAIRS.
NOT JUST AS I FRIENDLY NEIGHBOR BUT ALSO BECAUSE CHINA QUITEBOR
BUT ALSO BECAUSE CHINA QUITE DESPERATELY DOESNT WANT NORTH
KOREA TO SUFFER SOME SORT OF
CATASTROPHIC COLLAPSE.
CATASTROPHIC COLLAPSE. NORTH KOREA FALLING APART, WAR
IN NORTH KOREA, AN UNIMAGINABLE
UPRISING OF THE PEOPLE IN NORTH
KOREA, ANYTHING THAT MIGHT CAUSE
THE COLLAPSE OF THAT WEIRD
ISOLATED REPRESSED, POOR PLACE,
THAT WOULD PRODUCE POTENTIALLY
MILLIONS OF NORTH KOREAN
REFUGEES, WHICH CHINA BELIEVES
WOULD BECOME THEIR INSTANT
PROBLEM AND ONE THEY DO NOT
WANT.
WANT.
SO THAT WORRY, THAT BALANCING ACT WITH NORTH KOREA OVER THAT
BIG LONG POROUS BORDER THEYVE
GOT WITH NORTH KOREA, I THINK
THAT EXPLAINS A LOT OF CHINAS
ATTITUDE TOWARD THEM.
PARTICULARLY AS CHINAS ECONOMIC RISE HAS CREATED SUCH ANCONOMIC
RISE HAS CREATED SUCH AN INCREASING CONTRAST BETWEEN
LIVING STANDARDS IN CHINA AND
WHAT PEOPLE HAVE TO ENDURE IN
NORTH KOREA.
NORTH KOREA.
THEYRE VERY CONSCIOUS OF THAT BORDER.VERY CONSCIOUS OF THAT
BORDER.
BIG IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL
GEOPOLITICAL THING.
SO THATS TWO OF THE THREE,
RIGHT?
NORTH KOREA BORDERS SOUTH KOREA.
NORTH KOREA BORDERS CHINA.
WHAT IS THE THIRD COUNTRY WITH WHICH NORTH KOREA HAS A BORDER?
ITS RIGHT UP THERE ON THE SEA
COAST IN THE NORTHEASTERN CORNER
OF NORTH KOREA, WHERE THE TUMEN
RIVER FILTERS INTO A MUDDY DELTA
AND REACHES THE SEA.
ITS UP THERE IN THE FAR NORTH.
ITS A WICKED COLD, WINGED EYE
LAITED GRAY LITTLE CORNER OF THE
WORLD.
WORLD.
NORTH KOREA HAS A TINY LITTLE
SNIGLET OF A BORDER WAY THIRD
COUNTRY THERE.
THERES ONLY ONE CROSSING OVER
THAT BORDER.
ITS A BRIDGE.
IT IS A BRIDGE YOU CANNOT WALK ACROSS, NOR CAN YOU DRIVE ACROSS
IT.
IT.
YOU CAN ONLY TAKE A TRAIN ACROSS
IT.
ITS THE ONE CROSSING ON THAT
BORDER BETWEEN NORTH KOREA AND
THAT THIRD COUNTRY. IF YOU TAKE THAT TRAIN, WHICH
DOESNT COME VERY OFTEN, IF YOU
TAKE THAT TRAIN ACROSS ARE THAT
BRIDGE FROM NORTH KOREA AND THEY
LET YOU CROSS THAT BORDER, WHERE
YOU END UP IN IS RUSSIA.
THATS THE THIRD COUNTRY THAT
BORDERS NORTH KOREA.
IN 1860 RUSSIA ANNEXED, CAME IN
AND ANNEXED THAT LITTLE SPIFT
LAND AT THE DELTA OF THE TUMEN
RIVER.
RIVER. PREVIOUSLY, THAT TERRITORY HAD
BEEN CHINA.
BEEN CHINA.
BUT RUSSIA CAME IN WHILE WE WERE
BUSY STARTING OUR OWN CIVIL WAR
IN 1860, AND THEY PUSHED THE
CHINESE BORDER BACK 11 MILES
INLAND.
AND THAT HAD ONE VERY IMPORTANT
CONSEQUENCE FOR CHINA.
IT CUT OFF CHINAS ACCESS TO THE
SEA ANYWHERE NORTH OF THE KOREAN PENINSULA.RE NORTH OF THE KOREAN
PENINSULA.
AND RUSSIA IN TAKING THAT PEACE
OF LAND, THEY ALSO BOUGHT
THEMSELVES A WEIRD LITTLE 11-MILE-LONG BORDER BETWEEN
RUSSIA AND THE OTHER WEIRDEST
COUNTRY ON EARTH.
TECHNICALLY, NORTH KOREA IS A
COMMUNIST COUNTRY, ONE OF THE
LAST FEW COMMUNIST COUNTRIES ON
EARTH.
EARTH.
WHEN THE SOVIET UNION STILL EXISTED, THE USSR WAS THE MAIN
OUTSIDE ENTITY THAT WAS PROPPING
UP NORTH KOREA, MORE THAN ANY
OTHER ALLY OR ANY OTHER
BENEFACTOR.
ONE OF THE GREAT HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHES OF THE 20th CENTURY
HAPPENED VERY LATE IN THE 20th
CENTURY.
CENTURY.
IT HAPPENED IN THE 1990s IN NORTH KOREA, WHEN WIDESPREAD
SUSTAINED FAMINE IN THAT COUNTRY
IS ESTIMATED TO HAVE KILLED
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS IF NOT
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE.
IN THE 90s.
THAT FAMINE AND ITS ASTOUNDING
DEATH TOLL WERE SORT OF HARD FOR
THE REST OF THE WORLD TO SEE
BECAUSE NORTH KOREA IS SUCH A
CLOSED AND SECRETIVE AND
ISOLATED COUNTRY.
ISOLATED COUNTRY. BUT THAT FAMINE DIDNT HAPPEN IN
ISOLATION.
ISOLATION.
PART OF THE REASON THAT FAMINE
IS BELIEVED TO HAVE HAPPENED AND HAPPENED THEN IS BECAUSE OF THED
HAPPENED THEN IS BECAUSE OF THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET UNION.
AT THE END OF THE 80s,
BEGINNING OF THE 90s.
THEY REALLY HAD BEEN NORTH
KOREAS MAIN LIFELINE IN TERMS
OF ECONOMIC SUPPORT.
WHEN THE SOVIET UNION COLLAPSED
AT THE START OF THE 90s, SO DID
NORTH KOREAS ABILITY TO FEED
ITS POPULATION.
ITS POPULATION. ITS PATRON WENT INTO CHAOS.
NORTH KOREA STARTED TO STARVE TO
DEATH.
DEATH. WELL, NOW OF COURSE ITS CHINA
THAT IS THE ASCENDANT ECONOMIC
SUPERPOWER IN THAT REGION AND IN
THE WORLD.
THE WORLD. AND NOW IT IS CHINA THAT IS
KEEPING NORTH KOREA ALIVE
ECONOMICALLY.
ECONOMICALLY.
ACCOUNTING FOR MORE THAN 90% OF NORTH KOREAS TRADE. THAN 90% OF
NORTH KOREAS TRADE. BUT ITS BOTH CHINA AND RUSSIA
WHO BOTH HAVE A BIG STAKE IN
THAT COUNTRY.
THAT COUNTRY. CHINA AND RUSSIA ARE BOTH
LITERALLY NEIGHBORS WITH NORTH
KOREA.
KOREA.
THEYRE ABUTTERS.
EVEN IF RUSSIAS NORTH KOREA
BORDER JUST HAS THAT ONE TRAIN
BRIDGE AND A BUNCH OF MISERABLE GUARDS AND NOTHING ELSE.SERABLE
GUARDS AND NOTHING ELSE. WHEN PRESIDENT TRUMP MET WITH
KIM JONG UN LAST NIGHT, IT WAS
EASY TO BE CAUGHT UP IN THE
STRANGE SPECTACLE OF THAT
MEETING.
MEETING.
WHEN THINGS HAPPEN THAT HAVE NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.T HAVE
NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. WHEN THINGS HAPPEN FOR WHICH
THERES NO PARALLEL IN AMERICAN
HISTORY, IT CAN BE HARD TO SORT
OF GET YOUR BEARINGS IN TERMS OF
WHAT YOU OUGHT TO EXPECT AND
WHAT SHOULD BE SEEN AS A
SHOCKING DEPARTURE FROM WHAT YOU
EXPECTED.
EXPECTED. IT CAN BE COUNTED TO SEE WHAT
CAN BE COUNTED AS A GOOD G.
OUTCOME VERSUS A BAD OUTCOME WHEN NOTHING LIKE IT HASCOME
WHEN NOTHING LIKE IT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE.
HAPPENED BEFORE.
THE THING BUN PRECEDENTED EVENTS IS THEY EXIST IN A CATEGORY OFTS
IS THEY EXIST IN A CATEGORY OF THEIR OWN.
THEIR OWN.
YOU HAVE NOTHING TO STACK UP NEXT TO THEM TO TRY TO KEEPP
NEXT TO THEM TO TRY TO KEEP SPESHLTH, TO KNOW WHEN SOMETHING
IS RIGHT OR SOMETHING IS
DEFINITE
DEFINITE DEFINITELY OFF.
DEFINITELY OFF. BUT EVEN WITH THOSE CAVEATS
ABOUT LAST NIGHT, I THINK IT IS
SAFE TO SAY THERE IS ONE THING,
ONE VERY BIG THING THAT WAS
DEFINITELY OFF ABOUT THAT
MEETING LAST NIGHT.
AND THAT IS THE BASELINE REALITY THAT WE DONT KNOW WHAT IT WASITY
THAT WE DONT KNOW WHAT IT WAS FOR.
FOR.
WHY DID THAT HAPPEN?
WHAT WAS THAT FOR? NO U.S. PRESIDENT HAS EVER
AGREED TO MEET WITH A NORTH
KOREAN DICTATOR BEFORE.
THEYVE SOUGHT THIS FOR DECADES.
KIM JONG UN HAS WANTED THIS FOR
YEARS.
YEARS.
HIS FATHER WANT TD BEFORE HIM. HIS GRANDFATHER WANTED IT BEFORE
HIM.
HIM.
ALL U.S. PRESIDENTS HAVE BEEN ASKED.S. PRESIDENTS HAVE BEEN
ASKED.
ALL U.S. PRESIDENTS HAVE CONSIDERED IT, AT LEAST TO A
CERTAIN DEGREE.
CERTAIN DEGREE.
NONE OF THEM HAVE SAID YES. WHY DID THIS U.S. PRESIDENT
AGREE TO THIS MEETING?
WHY GIVE NORTH KOREA A
ONE-ON-ONE IN-PERSON SUMMIT WITH
THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT WITH ALL
THIS PAGEANTRY AND ALL THE
HONORIFICS?
HONORIFICS?
AFTER EVERY OTHER PRESIDENT SAID NO WHY DID THIS PRESIDENT SAYAID
NO WHY DID THIS PRESIDENT SAY YES?
YES?
WHAT WAS IT FOR?
I MEAN, NORTH KOREA MADE NO NEW PROMISES IN ORDER TO GET THISEW
PROMISES IN ORDER TO GET THIS SUMMIT.
SUMMIT.
NO NEW PROMISES ABOUT THEIR
WEAPONS PROGRAM OR THEIR OWN
BEHAVIOR TOWARD THEIR OWN PEOPLE
OR ANYTHING ELSE. THE NORTH KOREAN DICTATOR DID
REASSERT WHAT HAS BEEN A
LONG-TIME VAGUE ASSURANCE FROM THE NORTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT THAT
THEY SEEK TO DENUCLEARIZE THE
KOREAN PENINSULA.
KOREAN PENINSULA.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?
NORTH KOREAN DICTATORS HAVE BEEN
SAYING THAT TO THE UNITED STATES
IN THE CONTEXT OF VARIOUS
AGREEMENTS AND NEGOTIATIONS FOR
MORE THAN 25 YEARS NOW.
THATS NOTHING NEW. THEY START PLEDGING THEY WOULD
DENUCLEARIZE THE KOREAN
PENINSULA IN THE EARLY 90s.
SINCE THEN THEY HAVE DROPPED OUT
OF THE NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION
TREATY.
TREATY.
THEYVE MASTERED AND COMPLETED
MULTIPLE NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLES. THEYVE SUCCESSFULLY DEVELOPED
OPERATIONAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
THEYVE MANUFACTURED WHAT ARE
BELIEVED TO BE DOZENS OF
OPERATIONAL NUCLEAR BOMBS.
THEYVE ADVANCED THEIR MISSILE
PROGRAM SO THEY HAVE RELIABLE
SHORT, MEDIUM, AND LONG-RANGE
MISSILES THAT THEY COULD USE TO
FIRE THOSE NUCLEAR WEAPONS AS
FAR AWAY AS CHICAGO IF THEY SO
DESIRE.
DESIRE.
AND THEY GOT THEMSELVES EVEN A HYDROGEN BOMB AS OF 2017.VEN A
HYDROGEN BOMB AS OF 2017. THATS WHAT THEYVE DONE SINCE
THEY FIRST STARTED PROMISING IN
THE EARLY 90s THAT THEYD BE
HAPPY TO DENUCLEARIZE THE KOREAN
PENINSULA.
PENINSULA.
THATS THEIR VISION OF A DENUCLEARIZED KOREAN PENINSULA
AND THEIR ROLE IN IT.
THEM HAVING DOZENS OF NUCLEAR
WEAPONS AND VEHICLES TO DELIVER
THEM ALL OVER THE GLOBE.
THATS WHAT THEY MEAN BY WE WANT
TO DENUCLEARIZE.
TO DENUCLEARIZE. SO IN ORDER TO GET THIS SUMMIT
LAST NIGHT WITH THE AMERICAN
PRESIDENT THE NORTH KOREAN
DICTATOR AND THE NORTH KOREAN
GOVERNMENT APPEARED TO HAVE NOT
PROMISED CHANGE OF ANY KIND IN
THEIR NUCLEAR PROGRAM OR IN ANY
OTHER POLICY.
OTHER POLICY. LITERALLY, THEY GAVE UP NOTHING.
THEY PROMISED NOTHING.
IN EXCHANGE FOR THAT GENEROUS
OFFER PRESIDENT TRUMP GAVE NORTH
KOREA THIS ROYAL WEDDING-STYLE
SUMMIT IN WHICH NORTH KOREA WAS
BILLED AS A NATION EQUAL IN
STATURE TO THE UNITED STATES AND
THE NORTH KOREAN DICTATOR WAS
BILLED AS AN INTERNATIONAL
LEADER EQUAL IN STATURE TO THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
AS A BONUS THE PRESIDENT ALSO
THREW IN LITERALLY HOURS OF
UNWAVERING OVER-THE-TOP PRAISE
FOR THE NORTH KOREAN DICTATOR
AND HIS REPEATED INSISTENCE THAT
IT WAS HIS HONOR AS PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES TO HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH THE
DICTATOR
DICTATOR.
AND THEN, SURPRISE, PRESIDENT
TRUMP ANNOUNCED WHEN IT WAS ALL OVER THAT HE WOULD END THE JOINT
MILITARY EXERCISES BETWEEN THE
U.S. AND SOUTH KOREA.
WHAT?
WHAT? SOUTH KOREA IS SUPPOSED TO BE
ONE OF OUR CLOSEST ALLIES, BUT
APPARENTLY THEY HAD NO IDEA THIS
WAS COMING.
WAS COMING. "SOUTH KOREA APPEARS TO HAVE
BEEN BLINDSIDED BY TRUMPS
CHANGE OF HEART ON WAR GAMES.
U.S. OFFICIALS COULD NOT CONFIRM
THAT TRUMP HAD TOLD COUNTERPARTS
IN SEOUL ABOUT THE PLAN TO
SUSPEND MILITARY EXERCISES."
SOUTH KOREA SOON PUT OUT A
STATEMENT SAYING THEY WERE
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE EXACT
MEANING AND INTENTIONS IN
PRESIDENT TRUMPS COMMENTS.
BECAUSE THEY HAD NO IDEA THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT WAS COMING.
IN ADDITION TO BLINDSIDING SOUTH
KOREA ABOUT ENDING JOINT
MILITARY EXERCISES BETWEEN THE
U.S. AND SOUTH KOREAN
MILITARIES, PRESIDENT TRUMP ALSO
APPEARS TO HAVE BLINDSIDED THE
U.S. MILITARY WITH HIS
ANNOUNCEMENT.
ANNOUNCEMENT. "THE U.S. MILITARY" -- EXCUSE
ME.
ME.
"THE UNITED STATES MILITARY IN
SOUTH KOREA WAS ALSO APPARENTLY
BLINDSIDED BY MR. TRUMPS
REMARKS.
U.S. FORCES KOREA SAID THEY HAD
RECEIVED NO UPDATED GUIDANCE ON EXECUTION OR CESSATION OFNCE ON
EXECUTION OR CESSATION OF TRAINING EXERCISES."
TRAINING EXERCISES." SO BIG PICTURE, WHAT WAS THIS
SUMMIT ALL ABOUT?
THEY HAD THE SUMMIT.
RIGHT?
RIGHT?
THEY HAD THE ONE OP WUN MEETING AND THEN THE EXTEND BILATERALNG
AND THEN THE EXTEND BILATERAL MEETING WITH OTHER AIDES AND PUT
OUT THE WRITTEN STATEMENT.
THE WRITTEN STATEMENT DIDNT SAY
ANYTHING ABOUT ENDING MILITARY
EXERCISES.
EXERCISES.
BUT AFTER ALL THAT HAPPENS THE
PRESIDENT SORT OF CASUALLY
ANNOUNCES, AFTER THE WEDDING WAS OVER, THAT AT SOME POINT DURINGS
OVER, THAT AT SOME POINT DURING THE FESTIVITIES HE HAD TOLD THEM
THAT HED BE CALLING OFF U.S.
AND SOUTH KOREAN JOINT MILITARY
EXERCISES.
EXERCISES. WEVE BEEN DOING THOSE EVERY
YEAR SINCE THE 1950s.
U.S. FORCES KOREA, THE U.S.
MILITARY IN KOREA, HAD
ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA THIS WAS
COMING.
COMING.
AND THAT TURNS OUT TO NOT JUST BE STRANGE.RNS OUT TO NOT JUST
BE STRANGE.
ITS MATERIALLY CONSEQUENTIAL BECAUSE RIGHT NOW U.S. FORCES
KOREA ARE IN THE MIDST OF
PREPARING FOR THEIR NEXT BIG ROUND OF MILITARY EXERCISES WITH
SOUTH KOREA.
SOUTH KOREA.
THE ONES THEY DO EVERY YEAR. IF YOU LOOK AT THE LONGERAR.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE LONGER STATEMENT U.S. FORCES KOREA PUT
OUT IN RESPONSE TO THE
PRESIDENTS REMARKS, IT SEEMED
TO INDICATE THAT MAYBE THE
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT, MAYBE THE
U.S. MILITARY MIGHT EVEN BE
PLANNING ON GOING AHEAD WITH
THOSE NEXT EXERCISES WITH SOUTH
KOREA BECAUSE THEYRE NOT SURE
IF TRUMP ACTUALLY MEANT WHAT HE
SO CASUALLY MENTIONED AFTER THE
SUMMIT WAS OVER.
WHAT THE U.S. FORCES KOREA
STATEMENT SAID WAS "WE HAVE
RECEIVED NO UPDATED GUIDANCE ON
EXECUTION OR CESSATION OF
TRAINING EXERCISES TO INCLUDE
THIS FALLS SCHEDULED ULCHI
FREEDOM GUARDIAN.
FREEDOM GUARDIAN. IN COORDINATION WITH OUR
REPUBLIC OF KOREA PARTNERS WE
WILL CONTINUE WITH OUR CURRENT
MILITARY POSTURE UNTIL WE
RECEIVE UPDATED GUIDANCE FROM
THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE."
ULCHI FREEDOM GUARDIAN IS A VERY
LARGE JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE
THATS SCHEDULED TO START IN
LATE AUGUST.
LATE AUGUST.
I THINK ITS LIKE 11 DAYS LONG. ITS ONE OF THE BIGGEST MILITARY
EXERCISES ON EARTH.
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF SOUTH KOREAN TROOPS.NDS OF SOUTH
KOREAN TROOPS. NEARLY 20,000 U.S. TROOPS.
APPARENTLY, THE DEFENSE
DEPARTMENT IS GOING TO PROCEED
AS IF THEY ARE STILL DOING THAT
BECAUSE THEY HAVENT RECEIVED
ANY OFFICIAL WORD AND MAYBE THIS
IS LIKE TRUMP ANNOUNCE HE WANTS
HILLARY CLINTON INVESTIGATED OR
MAYBE IM GOING TO PARDON MARTHA
STEWART.
STEWART.
LIKE THEY HAVE TO WONDER IF THIS
IS JUST A THOUGHT HES HAD AND
ITS NOT SOMETHING HES GOING TO
FOLLOW THROUGH ON AND SO ITS
THEREFORE NOT SOMETHING THEYRE
SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON. BUT IF HE DID MEAN IT, IF HE IS
ACTUALLY ORDERING AN END TO
THESE JOINT MILITARY EXERCISES
BETWEEN THE U.S. AND SOUTH
KOREA, THAT IS AN ABSOLUTE
JACKPOT FOR THE NORTH KOREAN
DICTATOR.
DICTATOR.
THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS HE WANTS MOST ON EARTH THAT HE AND
HIS FATHER AND GRANDFATHER HAVE
BEEN TRYING TO GET FOR DECADES.
AND NOW TRUMP HAS APPARENTLY
JUST GIVEN IT TO THEM IN
EXCHANGE FOR NOTHING.
DO YOU REMEMBER LAST YEAR WHEN
NORTH KOREA THREATENED TO NUKE
GUAM?
GUAM?
REMEMBER THEY SAID THEY WERE GOING TO SHOOT NUCLEAR MISSILES
AT GUAM, THEY MADE VERY DETAILED
THREATS ABOUT THE FOUR NUCLEAR
BOMBS THEY WERE GOING TO DROP ON
GUAM AND HOW EXACTLY THEY WERE
GOING TO DO THAT?
REMEMBER THAT?
REMEMBER THAT? THEY MADE THAT THREAT TO PROTEST
LAST YEARS ULCHI FREEDOM
GUARDIAN, LAST YEARS BIG JOINT
U.S.-SOUTH KOREA MILITARY
EXERCISES IN AUGUST.
REMEMBER BEFORE THEN THE FLAMES
AND ASHES THREAT?
"IF WE PUSH THE BUTTONS TO
ANNIHILATE THE ENEMIES EVEN
RIGHT NOW ALL BASES OF
PROVOCATIONS WILL BE REDUCED TO
SEAS IN FLAMES AND ASHES IN A
MOMENT."
MOMENT."
THAT THREAT WAS IN PROTEST OF
U.S.-SOUTH KOREA MILITARY
EXERCISES.
WHEN THEY THREATENED TO TURN THE
SAEF JAPAN INTO A NUCLEAR SEA OF
FIRE, THAT WAS IN PROTEST OF
SOUTH-SOUTH KOREA MILITARY
EXERCISES.
WHEN THEY FREAKING TORPEDOED A
SOUTH KOREAN SHIP AND KILLED
MORE THAN 40 SOUTH KOREAN SAILORS IN 2010, THAT WAS IN
RESPONSE TO U.S.-SOUTH KOREAN
MILITARY EXERCISES.
MILITARY EXERCISES. WHEN NORTH KOREA ANNOUNCED THAT
THEY CONSIDERED THEMSELVES TO NO
LONGER BE BOUND BY THE CEASEFIRE
THAT ENDED THE KOREAN WAR IN THE
50s, THAT WAS IN PROTEST OF
U.S.-SOUTH KOREAN MILITARY
EXERCISES.
EXERCISES.
FOR YEARS, FOR DECADES, NORTH
KOREA HAS NOT JUST DEMANDED.
THEY HAVE HYSTERICALLY DEMANDED
AND FIRED MISSILES AND KILLED PEOPLE AND SUNK SHIPS ANDLLED
PEOPLE AND SUNK SHIPS AND SHELLED INHABITED SOUTH KOREAN
ISLANDS TO STOP THESE JOINT
U.S.-SOUTH KOREAN MILITARY
EXERCISES.
EXERCISES.
AND NOW TRUMP HAS JUST GIVEN THEM THAT FOR FREE, FOR NOTHING,
APPARENTLY WITHOUT TALKING TO
ANYBODY ELSE ABOUT IT, INCLUDING
HIS OWN MILITARY OR THE SOUTH
KOREANS OR ANYBODY.
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION INSISTED THERE
WOULD BE NO CONCESSIONS TO NORTH
KOREA UNLESS THEY HAD COMPLETE
VERIFIABLE IRREVERSIBLE
VERIFIABLE IRREVERSIBLE DENUCLEARIZATION.
DENUCLEARIZATION.
RIGHT?
THEYD HAVE TO DO THAT BEFORE
THE U.S. GAVE THEM ANYTHING.
THEY DIDNT GIVE ANY OF THAT. THEY DIDNT EVEN PROMISE TO DO
IT.
IT. AND THEY GOT AN END TO U.S.
JOINT MILITARY EXERCISES WITH
SOUTH KOREA, ONE OF THE THINGS
THEY WANT MOST IN THE WORLD,
THAT THEYVE BEEN TRYING TO GET
FOR DECADES?
FOR DECADES? WHYD THEY GET THAT?
WHY DID TRUMP GIVE THAT TO THEM?
HE DIDNT APPARENTLY NEGOTIATE
IT WITH ANYONE ELSE EVEN IN THE
U.S. GOVERNMENT OR U.S.
MILITARY.
MILITARY.
HE JUST HIMSELF GAVE IT AWAY.
WHY DID HE DO THAT?
YOU KNOW WHO ELSE WANTS THE U.S.
TO STOP ITS JOINT MILITARY
EXERCISES WITH SOUTH KOREA? THE ABUTTERS.H SOUTH KOREA?
THE ABUTTERS. CHINA NATURALLY SEES ITSELF AS
THE GREAT POWER IN THE REGION
AND INCREASINGLY IN THE WORLD.
THEY DEFINITELY SEE NORTH KOREA
AS NOT JUST A TROUBLESOME
NEIGHBOR BUT A NEIGHBOR THAT IS
SQUARELY WITHIN THEIR SPHERE OF
EXCLUSIVE INFLUENCE.
EXCLUSIVE INFLUENCE.
FROM CHINAS PERSPECTIVE IF THERE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FOREIGN
TROOPS CIRCULATING IN THAT PART
OF THE WORLD THAT WOULD BE
CHINESE TROOPS AND NOT ANYBODY
ELSES.
ELSES.
CHINA FOR YEARS HAS ADVOCATED THAT THE U.S. STOP THESE JOINT
MILITARY EXERCISES WITH SOUTH
KOREA.
KOREA.
THE OTHER ENTITY THAT REALLY
WANTS THE U.S. TO STOP ITS JOINT
MILITARY EXERCISES WITH SOUTH
KOREA, THE OTHER COUNTRY THAT
HAS BEEN INCREASINGLY INSISTENT
THAT THOSE EXERCISES ARE PROVE
KAIX
PROVOCATIONS AND THEY MUST STOP,
THE COUNTRY CHA THA HAS BEEN
SPEAKING OUT ON THAT MORE AND
MORE IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS
SPECIFICALLY IS NORTH KOREAS
OTHER ABUTTER.
HERES RUSSIA.
MARCH OF 2016.
EXPRESSING THEIR OPPOSITION TO
SOUTH KOREAN-U.S. MILITARY
EXERCISES.
HERES RUSSIA AGAIN MARCH OF 2017 WHEN THOSE SAME U.S.-SOUTH
KOREAN JOINT MILITARY EXERCISES
ROLLED AROUND AGAIN THE SAME
TIME THE NEXT YEAR BECAUSE
THEYRE ANNUAL EXERCISES.
BUT RUSSIAS STARTING TO GET A
LITTLE MORE BOLD IN THE PAST
YEAR OR TWO IN EXPRESSING THEIR
OPPOSITION TO THE U.S.
PARTICIPATING IN THESE JOINT
MILITARY EXERCISES.
MILITARY EXERCISES. THEERZ RUSSIA IN DECEMBER 2017
GETTING EVEN PUSHIER ABOUT IT,
SENDING THE HEAD OF THE RUSSIAN
ARMED FORCES TO THE RUSSIAN CITY
THAT IS NEAREST TO THAT LITTLE
SNIGLET OF THE NORTH KOREAN
BORDER TO PERSONALLY PROCLAIM
HIS OPPOSITION TO THE U.S.
FORCES -- TO U.S. FORCES
PARTICIPATING IN THESE JOINT
MILITARY OPERATIONS WITH SOUTH
KOREA.
KOREA.
RUSSIA HAS JUST THIS TINY LITTLE BORDER, 11-MILE-LONG BORDER WITH
NORTH KOREA-W ONE CROSSING INGKO
ON A TRAIN AND THEYVE GOT A
TROUBLED AND VARIED HISTORY WITH
THAT COUNTRY.
THAT COUNTRY. BUT RUSSIA IS ALSO INCREASINGLY
STRAINING AT ITS BORDERS RIGHT
NOW AND SHOVING BACK U.S. AND
WESTERN INFLUENCE, ESPECIALLY
U.S. AND WESTERN MILITARY
PRESENCE, ANYWHERE NEAR WHAT IT
CONSIDERS TO BE ITS OWN
GEOPOLITICAL INTERESTS.
GEOPOLITICAL INTERESTS. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY
HAVE STARTED TO LOUDLY INSIST ON
IS THAT THE U.S. DROP THOSE
JOINT MILITARY EXERCISES WITH
SOUTH KOREA.
SOUTH KOREA.
THE U.S. HAS KEPT THOSE GOING AS
A PILLAR OF U.S. NATIONAL
SECURITY STRATEGY FOR, OOH, 70
YEARS NOW.
UNTIL LAST NIGHT.
WHEN TRUMP CASUALLY ANNOUNCED THAT THATS OVER NOW, HES DOING
AWAY WITH THOSE.
BLINDSIDED EVERYBODY INVOLVED.
AND GAVE NORTH KOREA SOMETHING
THEY DESPERATELY WANT AND WOULD
DO ALMOST ANYTHING FOR.
EXCEPT HE GAVE IT TO THEM FOR