[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 200 (Wednesday, December 19, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1688]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               PRESIDENT MOON IS GOING SOFT ON LITTLE KIM

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 19, 2018

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it's been a year since North Korea 
tested a nuclear-capable ballistic missile. After successive years of 
increasing missile and nuclear weapon testing, the fact that none 
occurred in 2018 is remarkable progress. Even more so when we recall 
that talk of imminent war on the Korean Peninsula was echoing 
throughout the media just a year ago. This retreat from the nuclear 
brink would not be possible without President Trump's bold diplomatic 
efforts. However, with negotiations to achieve verifiable 
denuclearization still ongoing, the maximum pressure campaign that 
brought Kim Jong-Un to the table must continue. Unfortunately, it 
appears at risk due to South Korea's dovish president.
  The current talks with North Korea are a game of nuclear chicken. 
President Trump's approach ties intense international sanctions with 
diplomatic engagement that, if successful, provide the North Korean 
regime an economic life-line if it commits to irreversible 
dismantlement of its nuclear weapons program. But success hinges on 
comprehensive sanctions remaining in place until Kim Jong-Un formally 
makes that pledge and demonstrates verifiable steps towards 
denuclearization. Until now, Kim has only agreed to further talks and 
taken minor steps to show good faith, such as halting weapon tests, 
closing the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, and releasing American 
hostages. While encouraging, negotiations continue with the hope of 
achieving more substantive action, including a declared inventory of 
its full nuclear program. Here, intelligence reports seem to indicate 
that the North's nuclear and missile programs may actually be 
continuing to develop in secret.
  President Trump, therefore, has kept sanctions in place as 
negotiations continue. Withdrawing some sanctions too early would 
disincentivize the regime from agreeing to complete dismantlement--a 
mistake that was made in past negotiations. The President has also 
permitted talks to continue so long as the North Koreans engage in 
constructive dialogue. In August, when Kim's regime appeared to be 
stalling, he canceled a planned meeting between the regime and 
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. This action sent a clear signal that we 
won't be gamed and that the regime risks losing its only opportunity 
towards having sanctions removed. Negotiations have since resumed, with 
the North agreeing in October to allow inspectors to visit the Punggye-
ri nuclear site. Conditioning talks and standing firm on sanctions 
ultimately is the only way this process will work. Kim, on the other 
hand likely believes that he can wait-out the negotiations by 
alternating between stalling and piecemeal concessions until the U.S. 
and its allies tire or agree to a softer deal that removes sanctions. 
The regime will then quietly cheat, as they have before.
  This time, however, it appears that South Korea's President Moon Jae-
in will be the first to blink. In October--just a week after 
negotiations produced approval for inspections at Punggye-ri--President 
Moon conducted a tour of Europe where he urged allies to loosen 
sanctions on the Kim regime. Luckily, our European friends denied 
Moon's request, knowing that North Korea still has a ways to go before 
verifiable denuclearization is achieved. Mr. Moon's attempts to break 
the maximum pressure campaign, as well as the unity between the U.S. 
and its European allies, suggests that Little Kim may have found his 
mark and is exploiting Moon's naive sensibilities.
  For months, President Moon has sought to court Little Kim hoping to 
reduce tensions between the two Koreas. In September, he approved 
reconciliation deals with the Kim regime that pledged the withdrawal of 
guard posts along the de-militarized zone and restoration of some 
economic ties between the two countries. The South has since reversed 
its willingness to reopen Kaesong, a joint industrial center where 
South Korean companies employ workers from the North, citing a lack of 
progress on denuclearization. Had Moon's plan to restore economic ties 
through Kaesong gone forward, South Korea may have found itself in 
violation on United Nations sanctions. But Moon has moved forward with 
other projects, including a program to improve North Korea's rail 
network and link it with the South.
  An initial study of the North's rail system was approved last week by 
the U.N. Security Council following pressure from the White House to 
seek approval. Nonetheless, Moon's separate diplomatic maneuvers and 
premature offers of economic opportunities are likely encouraging the 
Kim regime to slow negotiations and steps towards denuclearization.
  With so much still at stake, the U.S. and its allies must present a 
united and stern front to pressure North Korea into accepting complete 
denuclearization. Little Kim has to see that maintaining any aspect of 
his nuclear weapons program is a no-win situation because crippling 
sanctions will ultimately dismantle his regime. However, if Kim sees 
weakness in our South Korean allies that he can use to chip-away at the 
current sanctions on his regime, he will continue to stall negotiations 
and our leverage will begin to collapse. President Moon must not be 
deceived by Kim's small gestures of goodwill and prematurely fold.
  And that's just the way it is.

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