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By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR Letter PFTracker

UNITED NATIONS, September 28 – Before the North Korea - US summit, US President Donald Trump on June 1 said, "you people are going to have to travel because you'll be in Singapore on June 12th." And on that day, after a 38 minute tete a tete (with interpreters) and wider meetings and a lunch, Trump held up the four point document and after that took questions, see below.  On June 22, the day the UN ousted Inner City Press from a speech by Secretary General Antonio Guterres in contravention of the Press' rights even under the UN's rules (CJR here), a set up for the UN's Chairman-style lifetime ban imposed on August 17 - now on September 26, from US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert, this: "Today, Secretary Pompeo met today with Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in New York.  Secretary Pompeo accepted Chairman Kim’s invitation to travel to Pyongyang next month to make further progress on the implementation of the commitments from the U.S.-DPRK Singapore summit, including the final, fully verified denuclearization of the DPRK, and to prepare for a second summit between President Trump and Chairman Kim."

On September 21, this from the US: "Secretary Michael R. Pompeo spoke by phone with Japanese Foreign Minister Kono yesterday.  They discussed the ongoing pressure campaign to achieve the final, fully verified denuclearization of the DPRK as agreed to by Chairman Kim Jong Un in Singapore.  They also talked about the upcoming UN General Assembly and global security issues of importance to the U.S.-Japan alliance." On September 19 Pompeo said, "The United States congratulates President Moon Jae-in and Chairman Kim Jong Un on the successful outcome of their summit meeting in Pyongyang. We welcome President Moon and Chairman Kim’s reaffirmation of the Singapore joint statement of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, including the permanent dismantlement of all facilities at Yongbyon in the presence of U.S. and IAEA inspectors. We also welcome Chairman Kim’s decision to complete the previously announced dismantlement of the Tongchang-ri site in the presence of U.S. and international inspectors as a step toward the final fully verified denuclearization of North Korea, as agreed by Chairman Kim at the Singapore summit with President Trump. On the basis of these important commitments, the United States is prepared to engage immediately in negotiations to transform U.S.-DPRK relations. This morning, I invited my counterpart Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho to meet in New York City next week where we are both already scheduled to be in attendance at the United Nations General Assembly meeting.  Likewise, we have invited North Korean representatives to meet our Special Representative for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, in Vienna, Austria at the earliest opportunity.  This will mark the beginning of negotiations to transform U.S.-DPRK relations through the process of rapid denuclearization of North Korea, to be completed by January 2021, as committed by Chairman Kim, and to construct a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula." But will the Ri meeting be out of the UN, where Inner City Press can stake it out and cover it, or in the Guterres-censored UN where Inner City Press will cover, but only as excluded by Guterres and his Alison Smale? On September 13 the US made an addition to its North Korea sanctions list: "JONG, Song Hwa (Korean); DOB 05 Feb 1970; nationality Korea, North; Gender Male; Passport 927220230 (Korea, North) issued 11 May 2017 expires 11 May 2022 (individual) [DPRK4]. The following entities have been added to OFAC's SDN List:
 VOLASYS SILVER STAR, 41 Ulitsa Klary Tsetskin, Vladivostok, Russia [DPRK3] [DPRK4].
 YANBIAN SILVERSTAR NETWORK TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. (a.k.a. CHINA SILVER STAR INTERNET TECHNOLOGY COMPANY; a.k.a. SILVER STAR INTERNET TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION; a.k.a. UNSONG INTERNET TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION; a.k.a. YANBIAN SILVER STAR; a.k.a. YANBIAN SILVERSTAR), 20998B-26 Changbaishan East Road, Yanji, Jilin, China [DPRK3] [DPRK4]." On September 7 while Guterres dodged a letter from the Korean missions President Donald Trump, who may or may no be behind what the US is telling people is the US Mission's support of censorship of Press, said this on Air Force One: "I know that a letter is being delivered to me, a personal letter from Kim Jong Un to me, that was handed at the border, I don’t know if you know that, it was handed at the border yesterday. It’s an elegant way, the way it used to be many years ago before we had all the of new contraptions that we all use. I think it’s going to be a positive letter. We have to start that process.
On North Korea, it’s very interesting. It started off very rough. … You people thought I was too rough. We have our hostages back, I say it a hundred times, no missiles, no rockets, no nuclear testing. There’s been some rhetoric, let’s see what happens. Although the rhetoric between myself and him has been very good. He says I have respect for President Trump. Let’s see what happens. He did write me a letter. The letter is being delivered to me, probably I’ll have it, I think it’s being brought in by Mike Pompeo, who by the way is doing a fantastic job."  Guterres' censorship, which included a ban on entering and covering the stakeout of Pompeo and perhaps ironically Nikki Haley has now been covered not only in DC, Cameroon, the UK and Italy but also Japan, see August 24, 2018, “Who Banned Reporter Michuu Lee from the United Nations?” by Hirata Ichiko, NikkanBerita.com (Japan). Next stop South Korea, where Ban Ki-moon's in retrospect less abusive attempt to Inner City Press' coverage, by downgrading status but not roughing up and banning, was repeatedly covered: Jan 18, 2017: “Before trying to be president, Ban Ki-moon must address his sibling’s corruption,” Hankyoreh (South Korea); Jan 18, 2017, Korea Times, “Prosecutors say Ban Ki-moon was 'indeed on bribery list,'” Jan 18, 2017, Yonhap, “Ban aide denies new allegations surrounding his brother;” Jan 23, 2017, Sisa Journal:  (“a foreign reporter exposed it.” And at the UN, Stephane Dujarric, Hua Jiang, Maher Nasser and others throughout all this, never recusing themselves, censors. On August 24, President Trump  tweeted: "I have asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo not to go to North Korea, at this time, because I feel we are not making sufficient progress with respect to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula... Additionally, because of our much tougher Trading stance with China, I do not believe they are helping with the process of denuclearization as they once were (despite the UN Sanctions which are in place)....Secretary Pompeo looks forward to going to North Korea in the near future, most likely after our Trading relationship with China is resolved. In the meantime I would like to send my warmest regards and respect to Chairman Kim. I look forward to seeing him soon!" Less that two hours later a UN North Korea sanctions meeting Inner City is banned by Antonio Guterres and Alison Smale from staking out, at least from inside the UN. Guterres is headed to China, leaving the Press in the street. Today's UN is corrupt.

Inner City Press earlier asked UN spokesman Farhan Haq, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: it seems that North and South Korea have agreed to have at least temporary family reunifications sometime this summer, maybe in August,  since you said the Secretary-General is following this process, what does he think of that?  Does it have any implications for the nuclear side of the discussions?

Deputy Spokesman:  Well, we welcome all confidence-building measures that are taken between the parties on the Korean Peninsula and we certainly hope that the issue of family reunifications can move forward.  As you're aware, this has been a concern of many families for decades and anything that helps ease the sort of problems and pain that they've faced from separation is a welcome step." The UN just watches - and censors. On August 21 in Washington, "Secretary Pompeo spoke yesterday with New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters. Secretary Pompeo thanked Foreign Minister Peters for New Zealand’s continued support in working towards the final, fully verified denuclearization of the DPRK as agreed to by Chairman Kim Jong Un, including the implementation of UN Security Council sanctions. They discussed cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and joint efforts at strengthening the rules-based regional order." On August 17 Guterres' Global Censor Alison Smale issued a no due process order to ban Inner City Press for life, here. On August 20, without irony, Guterres issued this: "The Secretary-General welcomes the holding of an inter-Korean family reunion event that began today and is set to last until 26 August.  He hopes that such reunion events will become routine and include many more people, including affected Koreans worldwide, allow participants to meet privately, and to remain in contact after the meetings. The Secretary-General further welcomes the efforts by both Koreas to continue their engagement and to take steps to build confidence and trust.

 The Secretary-General looks forward to discussing how he can further support the parties in their diplomatic efforts to bring sustainable peace, security, and complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula during the upcoming high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly." (Guterres and Smale are, of course, trying to ban Inner City Press from covering this high level week, see PressFreedomTracker.us on Inner City Press, here.) This came after North Korea put out a statement slamming Guterres for saying, alongside Japan's Abe, that DPRK "can be a normal member of the international community" through denuclearization. North Korea says it is not for Guterres to determine which are and are not "normal" states.  Who's writing this material? And on August 9: "The spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic
of Korea made public the following press statement on August 9, 2018.
At the first historic DPRK-U.S. summit meeting and talks, the top leaders
committed to work together toward putting an end to the extremely hostile relations
through confidence building and establishing new DPRK-U.S. relations in favor of
the requirements and interests of the peoples of two countries and to make active
contribution to peace, security, and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and over
the world.
Whereas we already took such practical denuclearization steps as discontinuing
nuclear test and ICBM test fire, followed by dismantling the nuclear test ground
since the end of last year, the U.S. insisted on its unilateral demand of
"denuclearization first" at the first DPRK-U.S. high-level talks held in Pyongyang
in early July.
Nevertheless, for the sake of building confidence between the DRPK and the
U.S., a foremost and indispensable process for implementation of the joint
statement of the DPRK-U.S. summit, we took such broadminded measures as
repatriating POW/MIA remains.
We hoped that these goodwill measures would contribute to breaking down the
high barrier of mistrust existing between the DPRK and the U.S. and to establishing
mutual trust. However, the U.S. responded to our expectation by inciting
international sanctions and pressure against the DPRK.
The U.S. is attempting to invent a pretext for increased sanctions against the
DPRK by mobilizing all their servile mouthpieces and intelligence institutions to
fabricate all kinds of falsehoods on our nuclear issue. They made public the "North
Korea Sanctions and Enforcement Actions Advisory" and additional sanctions, and
called for collaboration in forcing sanctions and pressure upon us even at the
international meetings.
Worse still, the U.S. is resorting to such highly despicable actions as hindering
international organizations' cooperation with our country in the field of sports and
forcing other countries not to send high-level delegations to the celebrations of the
70th founding anniversary of the DPRK.
Now the issue in question is that, going against the intention of president Trump
to advance the DPRK-U.S. relations, who is expressing gratitude to our goodwill
measures for implementing the DPRK-U.S. joint statement, some high-level
officials within the U.S. administration are making baseless allegations against us
and making desperate attempts at intensifying the international sanctions and
pressure.
Expecting any result, while insulting the dialogue partner and throwing cold
water over our sincere efforts for building confidence which can be seen as a
precondition for implementing the DPRK-U.S. joint statement, is indeed a foolish
act that amounts to waiting to see a boiled egg hatch out.
The international society is struck by this shameless and impertinent behavior of
the U.S., and we also closely follow the U.S. behavior with high vigilance against
their intentions.
As long as the U.S. denies even the basic decorum for its dialogue partner and
clings to the outdated acting script which the previous administrations have all tried
and failed, one cannot expect any progress in the implementation of the DPRKU.
S. joint statement including the denuclearization, and furthermore, there is no
guarantee that the hard-won atmosphere of stability on the Korean Peninsula will
continue.
We remain unchanged in our will to uphold the intentions of the top leaders of
the DPRK and the U.S. and to build trust and implement in good faith the DPRK U.S. joint statement step by step. The U.S. should, even at this belated time,
respond to our sincere efforts in a corresponding manner." On August 3 US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met his Chinese counterpart and Heather Nauert read it out: "Today, Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo met with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Singapore.  Secretary