[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 80 (Wednesday, May 16, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2690-S2691]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              North Korea

  Mr. President, last night, we received reports that Kim Jong Un is 
threatening to pull out of a planned meeting with President Trump as a 
result of the routine and scheduled joint military exercise by American 
and South Korean forces.
  After weeks of halting progress, it is a reminder that the North 
Korean regime has not suddenly moderated. Remember, all that has 
happened so far is, North Korea has announced it is closing a nuclear 
test site that was defunct anyway and returned American citizens they 
never should have detained. We are all thankful those three Americans 
have returned home, but it was not some major give by Kim Jong Un. 
Americans should never be imprisoned unlawfully by a foreign power and 
treated as diplomatic bargaining chips, and we, as a country, should 
not be giving huge kudos to a leader who does just that.
  President Trump, on the other hand, made a significant concession 
when he agreed to meet with Kim Jong Un. We are rooting for the 
President's gamble, with this mischievous and dangerous regime, to 
work. Now that push is coming to shove, Kim Jong Un is baiting the 
President into making more concessions to ensure a meeting that was a 
concession to them in the first place.

[[Page S2691]]

  I strongly urge President Trump: Mr. President, don't give Kim Jong 
Un anything for free. North Korea is threatening to cancel the summit 
over our joint military exercises with the South. That would be a 
mistake. It would be a mistake for the President to cancel this 
exercise, to begin making further concessions before Kim has dismantled 
a single nuclear weapon or agreed to a single inspector. If we show 
weakness--if the minute Kim Jong Un threatens, we go along, he will 
continue to take advantage of us. We must show strength and fortitude. 
By continuing these military exercises, we will do just that. I urge 
the President to not even blink an eye but say we are going forward 
with these exercises. We have seen North Korea play these games before. 
When North Korea wants or needs something, exercises are a problem. 
When they don't need something, the exercises are not a problem. Kim is 
clearly testing the United States and President Trump, trying to see if 
there is any weakness or desperation or division on our side. We must 
be strong. We must be resolute. This exercise should move forward.

  The best way to head into these negotiations with the North is to 
make clear that we will not be bullied and to show strength. We have to 
be willing to walk away from an insufficiently robust deal, and making 
concessions before we even sit down at the table would send the 
opposite signal. To achieve an enforceable, verifiable, and enduring 
agreement to denuclearize the North Korean Peninsula, the United States 
cannot give away leverage before even getting in the room.