Call me stupid, but did Trump just give North Korea the upper hand in North-South relations?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

Why do I get a feeling that the South has become increasingly worried that Trump could start a war on the peninsula which would be catastrophic for its citizens? Which means they’d be far more amenable to the North’s demands than they had ever been before?

Trump would of course play this as a win for him but seems to me Kim Jong Un would be the biggest winner.

[RKP5637]

1. IMO it appears Kim Jong Un is taking the upper hand and tRump will just watch and then scream

"I did it" if things go well.

[shanny]

2. otoh SK has been making some moves

of their own, including stopping oil tankers bound for NK. There has been an embargo in place but not enforced.

It may have been what led to NK's overtures.

[Javaman]

3. I posted this on wednesday...

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=1951883

NK completely played the trumpster fire...

They baited him into him acting as himself; and egomaniac who is completely incapable of negotiating himself out of a wet paper bag. The world and especially the Asian nations saw how unhinged the orange asshole is and decided to take matters into their own hands, thus marginalizing the U.S.

That was the entire purpose of NK during all of this.

In the past, it has always been the U.S. that was the arbiter of what was good and bad when dealing with NK. Aka using carrot and stick.

But NK played tRump into only using the stick and as a result, the rest of the thinking world basically said to tRump, in actions but not words, "go away, we will handle this"

And NK was just fine with that.

They now get a place at the negotiating table and U.S. is now marginalized completely.

Game, set, match.

[dalton99a]

4. +1

[eShirl]

5. Donald Chump

[Mc Mike]

6. Yes, stupid. rec, Nt

[Wounded Bear]

7. Not unexpected...

He fancies himself a "good negotiator" but his primary life-long strategy was intimidation and subterfuge. Now he is faced with issues and people that refuse to be intimidated and are better at subterfuge with him.

Loser.

[RKP5637]

8. He's so lost, he can't even find the woods to get lost in! n/t

[Igel]

9. No, South Korea did.

There are two divergent attitudes about N. Korea that you pick up from public pronouncements.

The first is a disbelief that the North does anything more than posture and bluster. Therefore, ethnic and geographic solidarity is important and the South should really help the North.

The second is fear that the North is really dangerous, and therefore to avoid bloodshed it should be placated or at least mollified. Therefore, the South should really help the North.

Take the "we'd like to send a delegation to the Olympic games." Most of the time, that would be a country asking for a favor. The South seems to think it's being flattered by being asked to do something at the last minute that helps the prestige of a country that's sunk some of its boats. Others think this is a breakthrough, with peaceful coexistence about to blossom.

My cynicism says that in the North this will be seen as a sign of the Great Leader's leading greatness, new stature and standing in the world community because of its strong military stance, and as a further sign that the real problem with the North isn't its strength and wonderfulness, but the craven weakness and cowardliness of the US and the West in general. With more of the "the South is really just an occupied part of Korea, and we, the Kim family, are the rightful leaders of Korea. Stalin told us so."