Korea Thread: Liberal Moon Jae In Elected

[Jacob]

There's speculation that North Korea is doing this because they accidentally blew up their nuclear test site: http://www.iflscience.com/policy/this-could-be-the-real-reason-north-korea-halted-nuclear-testing-and-its-terrifying/

The mountain above North Korea's main nuclear test site Punggye-ri has likely collapsed following a nuclear test last fall, sparking concerns about radioactive fallout and environmental catastrophes, according to geologists at the University of Science and Technology of China.

It comes less than a week after North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un announced the reclusive nation would immediately suspend nuclear and missile tests and scrap its testing site ahead of meetings with the United States and South Korea, now suggesting an alternative reason behind the site's closure.

"The onsite collapse calls for continued close monitoring of radioactive materials from the nuclear test site," the geologists wrote in a study that will appear in an upcoming issue of Geophysical Research Letters.

Nuclear explosions release enormous amounts of heat and energy. Following a nuclear bomb test on September 3 of last year, the researchers say the "explosion created a cavity and a damaged 'chimney' of rocks" out of nearby Mount Mantap that could be leaching radioactivity. Estimated at 100 kilotons, the blast was the sixth test 10 times stronger than any of the previous five. For comparison, the bomb that was detonated over Hiroshima in 1945 was 15 kilotons. About 8.5 minutes after the explosion, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake was recorded with four subsequent earthquakes generated in the following weeks.

By collecting high-quality seismic data and examining satellite imagery before and after the tests, scientists were able to determine where these earthquake swarms occurred and that they were indeed caused by the tests. Past tests have altered the area's capacity to withstand tectonic stress to the extent that previously inactive tectonic faults have reached a state of "critical failure". Further disturbances and future nuclear testing in the region could generate more destructive earthquakes.

"Given the history of the nuclear tests North Korea performed beneath this mountain, a nuclear test of a similar yield would produce collapses in an even larger scale creating an environmental catastrophe," says the paper.

The findings confirm a study published last month that found similar results, suggesting the tectonic events were in fact man-made and not the result of naturally occurring tectonic activity. The paper described the aftershock as most likely a "rapid destruction of an explosion-generated cracked rock chimney due to cavity collapse."

No radioactive materials have been collected along the North Korea-China border, but Chinese officials fear radioactive dust may be leaching through cracks and holes in the damaged mountain.[/img]

[Jacob]

When denuclearising Little Rocket Man has to fear his own generals more than the American ones. Also Trump will probably handle this like a Manhattan real estate deal, so expect at least one very public walkout on his part, at minimum.

I kind of hope he does - because that will likely show to what degree it has to do with Trump rather than Kim and Xi.

[grumbler]

Donald Trump helping to finally end the 60-year old Korean War.

One could make a semi-decent argument that Donald J Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize more than Barack Obama does.




My god, the times we live in.

Given that neither Trump nor Obama did anything to remotely deserve the Peace Prize, I am baffled that you think one more deserving than the other.  Even if your only qualification was being the nicer guy, Obama wins that one.

[PJL]

Sounds like it could be more a 'Praxis getting blown up' moment for the North Koreans than any 'only Nixon could go to China' thing that is motivating them to the negotiating table.

[Maladict]

So apparently Kim can at least pretend to be a normal person, even statesman like.

He is going to run circles around Trump at the meeting, isn't he?

[jimmy olsen]

[FunkMonk]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-should-get-nobel-prize-says-south-korean-leader-1525098496

"President Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize," Mr. Moon said Monday during a cabinet meeting, according to a spokesman for the presidential office in Seoul. "The only thing we need is peace."

We live in the weirdest timeline.

[Jacob]

I'm really looking forward to hearing the details of Trump's contribution and the terms and expectations surrounding the deal.

[grumbler]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-should-get-nobel-prize-says-south-korean-leader-1525098496

"President Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize," Mr. Moon said Monday during a cabinet meeting, according to a spokesman for the presidential office in Seoul. "The only thing we need is peace."

We live in the weirdest timeline.

Some foreign policy expert on NPR yesterday pointed out that foreign leaders have learned they can roll Trump for anything if they just praise him. 

[Valmy]

Hey man if Trump did something good then great. I am not complaining.

[Legbiter]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-should-get-nobel-prize-says-south-korean-leader-1525098496

"President Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize," Mr. Moon said Monday during a cabinet meeting, according to a spokesman for the presidential office in Seoul. "The only thing we need is peace."

We live in the weirdest timeline.

Just for you FunkMonk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGX89XK1Vt0

[jimmy olsen]

Hey man if Trump did something good then great. I am not complaining.

He hasn't done anything

[Tamas]

Hey man if Trump did something good then great. I am not complaining.

He hasn't done anything

That won't stop him from claiming credit though

[Legbiter]

"They welcome American sponsors and multilateral consortiums coming into North Korea."

He added building a Trump Tower might be a possibility for future "modern" North Korea.

His comments come after the historic moment that North Korean Kim Jong-un stepped into the South with Moon and exchanged a landmark handshake.

In a passing statement, North Korean officials said they wanted their regime to be a "normal country" and brought up the possibility of a "McDonalds-style" US investment.

The North Korean leader is expected to meet with US president Donald Trump in May.

....The location has not been confirmed, but it is believed the talks will be held in either Singapore or Mongolia.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/952749/kim-jong-un-north-korea-mcdonalds-donald-trump-usa

[garbon]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/02/donald-trump-nobel-peace-prize

House Republicans nominate Trump for Nobel peace prize

Eighteen House Republicans have nominated Donald Trump for the 2019 Nobel peace prize.

In a letter spearheaded by the Indiana Republican Luke Messer and sent to the Norwegian Nobel committee, the lawmakers claim that Trump should "receive the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his work to end the Korean War, denuclearize the Korean peninsula and bring peace to the region".

The rules for a Nobel prize nomination are relatively loose. Nominations can only be made by people who belong to a handful of categories, including members of a national legislation body, university professors and former winners of the prize – but there are no other restrictions. In 2018, there were 330 nominees to win the award, which will be announced in December. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons was the 2017 winner.

The Nobel committee operates under aegis of the government of Norway, but a 2009 justice department memo says the prize and accompanying $1.4m award does not qualify as a "emolument" from a foreign power, as the committee is independent from the government. Trump has previously faced criticism over foreign government spending at his hotels, which scholars have argued is an emolument. The Trump Organization has said that it has given all profits from foreign governments to the US treasury.

Although the letter copiously praises Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign and says there is "no one more deserving of the Committee's recognition in 2019 than President Trump for his tireless work to bring peace to our world", there may be political motivations at play as well.

Messer, a three-term incumbent from south-eastern Indiana, is in a ferocious three-way primary next week for the Republican nomination for the US Senate. One of the main bones of contention between him and his two main opponents, the congressman Todd Rokita and the businessman Mike Braun, is over which candidate is most dedicated to supporting Trump. The winner faces the Democratic incumbent, Joe Donnelly, in a state that Trump won by 19 points in 2016.

Four other Republican Senate hopefuls have signed the letter. Neither Kevin Cramer of North Dakota nor Marsha Blackburn faces competitive primaries in their fight to win competitive Senate seats in red states, but two others do.

Evan Jenkins of West Virginia signed the letter, as did Jim Renacci of Ohio. Both face competitive primaries next week in state won by Trump with incumbent Democrats. Other signatories include Mark Meadows of North Carolina, who leads the hard-right Freedom Caucus, and Steve King of Iowa, who has long praised far-right anti-immigration figures in European politics, such as Geert Wilders.