SK media amused by Bloomberg's report that Pompeo & entourage had no idea where they would stay til they arrived and were kept in the dark about schedule. The trip was marked by elaborate banquets which US guests dreaded for their length and # of courses
news.joins.com/article/227839…
news.joins.com/article/227839…
Per Bloomberg, Pompeo got frustrated when presented with another elaborate breakfast that would take forever to finish. He grabbed some toast and ditched the banquet. That's how he started off on the wrong foot and invited Kim Yong-chol's microaggression bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
KYC kept asking if he slept well and suggested he might not have given important matters were discussed the day before: “Director Kim, I slept just fine.” The first day was tense as well with each side saying they've got important matters to "clarify"
nytimes.com/2018/07/07/wor…
nytimes.com/2018/07/07/wor…
Even Senator Graham brought up Kim Yong-chol needling Pompeo whether he slept well: "You asked Pompeo: ‘Did he sleep well?’ If you knew what I knew about what we could do to the leadership of North Korea, you wouldn’t sleep very well.“
thehill.com/homenews/senat…
thehill.com/homenews/senat…
Pompeo knows what NK is up to: distract, impede & lead him astray from the task at hand. Slow the process down and diffuse focus from denuking and the need for an inventory. When he got frustrated and said, "OK, let's cut to the chase," he was accused of acting like a gangster
"Snarky" was the adjective used by reporters who witnessed exchanges between Pompeo and KYC. CNN and Joseph Yun called it a "diplomatic disconnect" while Victor Cha said, "Can't really put lipstick on this pig,” assessing Pompeo's claim of progress made
So what are assessments of SK analysts. They're always divided but many agree with Yun and Cha. Zero accomplished, nada: "Forming working groups may be another procedural hurdle and Pompeo again failed to elicit an inventory of nuclear weapons from NK"
news.joins.com/article/227819…
news.joins.com/article/227819…
Analysts think the key phrase uttered by NK in its KCNA piece is this: "The 1st DPRK-US talks ... brought us to a dangerous situation where we may be shaken in our unshakable will for denuclearization rather than consolidating trust between DPRK & the US." What's meant by this? 
Need to remember that's translated and the original isn't as awkward. Shows NK didn't have in mind the denuking envisioned by the US and suggests it didn't negotiate in good faith. It could walk away now but would rather make the US walk away. It's called the "salami strategy"
"This is the moment of truth." We now know NK isn't serious re denuking. Back in April at least NK went through the motions and seemed serious. Now, again, it's fallen back to its tactic of obstruction and stalling to make the process fall by the wayside
Most people don't realize that KCNA piece was fashioned in the same way previous controversial pieces were presented: from the For Ministry and for discourse. It's for outside dissemination: those abroad. It wasn't run by Rodong or domestic presses so NK citizens never read it
Some ask where KJU is. He didn't come to watch hoops and he's the one who called for it. Plus no mausoleum show. Maybe he's tired: he did 4 live guidance sessions in 3 days and also toured Sinuiju. The one should be wondering about is Kim Yo-jong. Hasn't been seen since Singapore
