How Donald Trump sold out South Korea while furthering Kim Jong-un’s dream of domination

US President Donald Trump may admire Kim Jong-un more than he does the leaders of America’s allies. When Kim speaks, “his people sit up at attention,” said the American president. “I want my people to do the same.” Trump was no doubt joking, sort of, but the message was clear. He admires and trusts Kim and wishes he as president could exercise the same authority. 

As it is, the White House is emitting mixed messages, sowing confusion among friends and foes alike, raising questions among conservatives and liberals as to where Trump stands, what he wants and what’s going to happen next. He has praised Kim as one who “loves his people” and as a nice person with whom he gets along just fine, but he’s obviously overlooking the downside of one of the world’s most cruel hereditary dictators.

He has also been fooled into thinking Kim is really getting rid of his nuclear programme when he is doing little or nothing about it while attempting to wring one concession after another from the Americans.

Talk of “confederation” of the two Koreas is in the air, advanced by those who think that somehow North and South can survive on equal terms, that Kim would want to get along with South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in as an equal with whom he would even agree to share authority.