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By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR Letter PFTracker

UNITED NATIONS GATE, February 8 – 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 and confirmed in classic DPRK style on January 2, 2018. On January 18 White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced, "President Donald J. Trump met with Kim Yong Chol for an hour and half, to discuss denuclearization and a second summit, which will take place near the end of February. The President looks forward to meeting with Chairman Kim at a place to be announced at a later date." On February 4 US State Department deputy spokesperson Robert Palladino said, "U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun will travel to Pyongyang on February 6 for meetings with his DPRK counterpart Kim Hyok Chol to prepare for the President’s second summit with Chairman Kim and advance further progress on the commitments the President and Chairman Kim made in Singapore: complete denuclearization, transforming U.S.-DPRK relations, and building a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula." And on February 8, Trump tweeted, "My representatives have just left North Korea after a very productive meeting and an agreed upon time and date for the second Summit with Kim Jong Un. It will take place in Hanoi, Vietnam, on February 27 & 28. I look forward to seeing Chairman Kim & advancing the cause of peace!" So Hanoi it is. On January 15 it emerged that Kim Yong Chol is headed to DC January 17-18 to meet Mike Pompeo, maybe even Donald Trump. "Ideas are being discussed as interim measures, not as an end state, in order to expedite the denuclearisation process because the North wouldn’t respond to any demand for a declaration of facilities and weapons,” a senior South Korean official said. And at the UN, as to opaque Netherlands, we're yet to hear clearing from the 1718 Sanctions Committee, in part due to censorship by UNSG Antonio Guterres for his own CEFC China Energy reasons. We'll have more on this. On January 3 the UN has announced: "UN expert on human rights in North Korea will visit the South Korean capital Seoul from 7 to 11 January.  Tomás Ojea Quintana, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, will meet with senior members of the South Korean Government, members of the diplomatic community, as well as representatives of the civil society and other stakeholders. He will also interview people who have recently escaped the DPRK and collect information on the current human rights situation inside the country.  Despite repeated requests for a country visit, the DPRK has not granted the UN expert access to the country.  The Special Rapporteur regularly visits the region and reports annually to the UN Human Rights Council and the General Assembly. The upcoming visit is his fifth to the Republic of Korea since his appointment by the Human Rights Council in March 2016. He last visited Seoul in July 2018.  The Special Rapporteur will hold a press conference on Friday 11 January, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. (local time) at the Korea Press Center (124, Sejong-daero, Jung-gu), Seoul. Access to the press conference is strictly limited to journalists." Journalists like the state media Guterres and Alison Smale let in to "their" UN while roughing up and banning Inner City Press? On December 24, a US District Judge awarded more than $500 million for the killing of Otto Warmbier - a default judgment on which Inner City Press on Christmas Eve said to expect the DPRK response.  On December 25 the response is to the December 22 UN General Assembly resolution: the DPRK state-run Rodong newspaper called the resolution a "serious political provocation against the DPRK and a vicious move to tarnish its international image. The wicked intention of the US... in getting vocal about the non-existent 'human rights issue' of the DPRK is to broaden the scope of the sanctions and pressure and escalate them." The US tried to get  a Security Council meeting on human rights in North Korea but stood down, reportedly thinking it will get it with the five incoming members. We'll see and report on it, even still banned from the UN North Korea style by Dear Leader Antonio Guterres, covering up his own conflict of interest.  As to Warmbier it's Case 1:18-cv-00977-BAH and it goes like this: "Upon consideration of the plaintiffs’ Motion for Default Judgment and, If Necessary, Motion for Evidentiary Hearing, ECF No. 16, the related legal memorandum in support thereof, the exhibits and declarations attached thereto, the evidentiary hearing conducted on December 19, 2018, and the entire record herein, for the reasons stated in the accompanying Memorandum Opinion issued contemporaneously with this Order, the Court finds that the plaintiffs have established their “claim[s] or right to relief by evidence satisfactory to the court,” 28 U.S.C. §
1608(e), and it is hereby
ORDERED that the plaintiffs’ Motion for Default Judgment is GRANTED; and it is
further
ORDERED that the defendant Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (“North Korea”)
shall be liable for damages in the amount of $501,134,683.80, which shall be allocated in the
following manner:
The estate of Otto Warmbier is entitled to the sum of $21,134,683.80 in compensatory
damages and $150,000,000.00 in punitive damages; and
Otto Warmbier’s parents Frederick Warmbier and Cynthia Warmbier are each entitled to the
sum of $15,000,000 in compensatory damages and $150,000,000 in punitive damages; and it
is further
ORDERED that the plaintiffs shall, at their own cost and consistent with the
requirements of 28 U.S.C. § 1608(e), send a copy of this Order to the defendant North Korea." On November 19, US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert announced: "Secretary Michael R. Pompeo spoke today with Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom and thanked her for Sweden’s role in securing the release of an American citizen from North Korea.  The Secretary also thanked the Swedes for their support and services as our Protecting Power in North Korea, and discussed other issues of mutual concern." On November 8 after Russia called a closed door consultation on North Korea, US Nikki Haley emerged afterward and snarked that Russia said this was about humanitarian but what they REALLY want is to lift banking restriction and we're not going to do that. (See previous Inner City Press scoop, before being roughed up and banned by Antonio Guterres, credited here.) On November 16 this from US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert: "Secretary Michael R. Pompeo met with ROK Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon on November 16, 2018 in Washington, D.C.  They affirmed their commitment to close coordination during ongoing efforts to achieve the final, fully verified denuclearization of the DPRK as agreed to by Chairman Kim.  Both sides also discussed ways to deepen coordination so that inter-Korean cooperation and progress on U.S.-DPRK negotiations toward denuclearization remain aligned." There are boasts of the testing of a new high tech "tactical" weapon...

Back 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 Pompeo underscored the importance of pursuing a constructive U.S.-China relationship that produces meaningful results.  He emphasized our shared commitment to the final, fully verified denuclearization of the DPRK, as agreed upon by Chairman Kim, as well as the importance of continued implementation of all related UN Security Council Resolutions.  Secretary Pompeo also discussed additional priorities in our bilateral relationship, such as U.S. concerns about China's ongoing militarization of the South China Sea." Earlier on August 3, the US Mission to the UN, silent on UN censorship to date, issued this: "The U.S. Mission to the United Nations submitted a list of designation proposals today to the UN Security Council’s 1718 North Korea Sanctions Committee as part of the U.S. government’s regular sanctions implementation activities. This action coincided with today’s Treasury Department actions and is part of a coordinated U.S. government effort to continue to implement existing sanctions, both domestic and multilateral, and cut off North Korea’s illicit financial activities. The United States has been clear that if the international community wants to achieve the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea, the best way to support that process is to remain vigilant in applying the current sanctions to their full extent." And now the proposed names, with comments (or not) solicited by 1718 chair van Oosterom until August 10 at 3 pm:  Ri Jong Won & 3 entities: Dandong Zhongsheng Industry andTrade Company Limited, Korea Ungum Corporation and the Agrosoyuz Commercial Bank. We'll have more on this. On July 3 the same rogue UN Security officer Ronald E. Dobbins and a partner roughed up Inner City Press as it covered Guterres' budget; on July 5 and 6, Guterres UN has banned Inner City Press five days now and counting from entering the UN pending a "review" - of Dobbins' brutality?  Fox News story here, GAP blogs I and II. Now on August 2 on their way to Malaysia a US State Department Official travel with Mike Pompeo answered questions about North Korea, including: " If he does meet with the North Korea foreign minister, would that be on Friday or Saturday, do you think?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:  Thank you for that question, Carol.  I’m not in a position to confirm any additional meetings of a bilateral nature beyond those meetings with Singapore, but I will simply note what happens at these annual gatherings is there are at least 27 – I think this year with guests of the chair there are approximately 30 – foreign ministers.  That provides a platform for a lot of interaction – some sit-down meetings, some side-bar meetings, some pull-asides, some chance encounters – to address challenges in the region or other business.  So I think it’s safe to say the Secretary will be seeing many of his counterparts.

MODERATOR:  We need to wrap it up.  A few more questions.

QUESTION:  You said last Tuesday that the Secretary will ask countries to continue implementing sanctions against North Korea, but what – can he do more than just ask implementing when there is a sense that they are not implementing them as – as they were doing before the summit and before this year?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:  Yeah, I think when it comes to North Korea and sanctions, it’s more than an ask; it’s a reminder of obligations.  All of the countries participating in these multilateral meetings are also members of the United Nations and are obligated to implement all UN Security Council resolutions.  And we do have concerns about North Korea bypassing some of those sanctions, not adhering to its own obligations, so the Secretary will use these opportunities to remind all of that obligation to stick to the sanctions as a means to get to the ultimate objective, the fully verified, finally fully verified, denuclearization of North Korea.

QUESTION:  But he already addressed this problem at the UN Security Council a few weeks ago.  What can he do more than just reminding them?  I mean, is this having some success in implementation?  Do you see some changes or not yet?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:  Well, in very general terms, we believe that the sanctions and the adherence to sanctions by countries around the world is a primary reason that North Korea has entered into dialogue, and those sanctions need to stay in place until the goals and objectives of the sanctions are achieved.  That’s a very important message, and it’s not one that the Secretary delivers lightly, I think he delivers on a regular basis, and we see a need to continue doing so." We'll have more on this - and, we hope, on the question we were able to ask the Dutch chair of the UN's North Korea sanctions committee Karel Von Oosterom, who has been informed in person at the Delegates' Entrance gate and then in writing: would travel ban waivers be needed if North Korea attends the UN's September high level week? The answer, from genial Dutch spokesman Frits Kemperman who knows of the UN's ouster of Inner City Press, was that Kim Jong Un is not on the travel ban list. But how about the rest of his possible delegation? How will we get this answer, while banned?  On June 28, restricted Inner City Press observed China's Permanent Representative and one staffer rushing, or trying to rush, in to the Security Council between 5:45 and 6 pm. But the door was locked. Exclusive Inner City Press Periscope video here. Later it was reported and China and Russia had a proposal to reduce UN sanctions on North Korea. We'll have more on this. On June 13 Inner City Press asked this month's President of the UN Security Council Vassily Nebenzia if his country, Russia, thinks the Singapore deal is essentially "freeze for freeze." Nebenzia replied, "There are elements of freeze for freeze, that is clear." Video here.
Inner City Press also asked the chair of the UN Security Council's 1718 Committee if the blanket sanctions exemptions were time bound and are now over. Seems so - Periscope video here, at end.  On June 12 Trump said the war games will not be resumed in North Korea complies, calling them provocative and expensive. A Japanese reporter asked about abductions, adding, when will Trump do interview with Japanese TV? Trump said abductions will be worked on, it's not in the document. Trump said that to verify - the word not in the document - there'll be a lot of people there. There was no mention of the UN or IAEA. Hours later UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres put out a canned statement "reiterat[ing] his readiness to fully support the ongoing process," below, after leaving problems at the IAEA unaddressed, taking few and only handpicked questions, restricting the Press.

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