North Korean military may benefit from Kim’s charm offensive
While raising hopes for denuclearization, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s new focus on diplomacy could be a godsend for his generals.
Kim’s thinking on how his military fits in to his plans to foster detente on the Korean Peninsula and negotiate security guarantees may become clearer when he sits down with President Donald Trump next week in Singapore.
But one thing is clear. Kim cannot survive without his loyal troops. His strategy will strongly reflect their interests — and that includes the ability to make money.
Virtually every part of the North Korean economy has the military’s fingerprints on it, from growing food to fixing roads to running mines. So if Kim’s charm offensive succeeds in depleting support for sanctions, his generals could win big. AP
China warns U.S. against provocations following B-52 flyby
China is accusing the United States of militarizing the South China Sea after two American B-52 bombers flew close to a disputed Chinese-held shoal in a show of force.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying warned the U.S. on June 6 against “hyping up militarization and stirring up trouble,” while promising that China would take all necessary measures to defend its sovereignty. She says the U.S. action could be risky.
The bomber flyby this week over Scarborough Shoal, which China took from the Philippines in 2012, came after U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis accused Beijing of “intimidation and coercion” and declaring the Indo-Pacific a “priority theater” for U.S. forces.
China has steadily built up its military presence on disputed islands in the South China Sea, which it claims almost entirely. AP