North Korea "very angry" at US as tensions mount, sources say

US military officials, foreign diplomats and sources familiar with the situation say the two sides will be forced to make concessions, that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is "really angry" at the refusal of US to propose sanctions and that personal friction between North Korean and US negotiators could slow progress.

"It does not bode well for the negotiations, which were not going well," said Bruce Klingner, senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation.

Former deputy division chief of the CIA for Korea, Klingner pointed out North Korea's recent threat to revive "nuclear force build-up" if the United States did not lift sanctions, the fact that Pyongyang did not lift sanctions, has not yet met Pompeo's special representative for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, and that the two countries have not yet agreed on the definition of basic terms such as "denuclearization" – five months after Trump's historic summit with Kim.

"Obviously, both parties remain very far apart," said Klingner.

A source familiar with the ongoing dance between officials in Washington and Pyongyang said that North Korea "is getting really angry" for the absence of any offer of sanctions relief from the United States and that their position is that the United States "must act before we do the next."

The North Korean state press, KCNA, said on Nov. 2: "We have given everything possible in the United States, things that it hardly deserves, by taking proactive measures and goodwill, what remains to be done is the corresponding response from the US.Unless of any response, the DPRK will not move even 1 mm, which can be expensive. "

The United States has suspended and canceled military exercises with South Korea in the interest of diplomacy. And the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Joseph Dunford, hinted on Monday that if negotiations between the US and North Korea progressed, this could lead to a potential change in the presence US military on the Korean peninsula, where 28,500 soldiers are currently stationed. long-term goal for Pyongyang.

"Frankly, the more we succeed on the diplomatic path, the more uncomfortable we will be in the military space," said Dunford at an event at Duke University, "because over time, these negotiations will take the following form: We must begin to change the military posture on the peninsula and we are ready to do so to support the Secretary Pompeo. "

CNN Military and Diplomatic Analyst John Kirby said Dunford "has attempted to reflect the fundamental fact that the US military posture on the peninsula is both a cause of tension and a result. that it is necessary, not just because it has always existed. "

"As such, the military plays a key role in the diplomatic process, as a bulwark and currency of exchange," said Kirby. "If Dunford had not admitted that a change in the posture of force could result from successful negotiations, he might have condemned those discussions to failure."

"Largely aesthetic"

While North Korea claims to have taken steps towards denuclearization, experts say the measures are largely aesthetic and easily reversible. Kim's regime has closed a missile engine test facility. destroys the inputs to its nuclear test site; and promised to shut down the Yongbyon nuclear facility, where North Korea would produce fissile material for nuclear weapons if Washington takes what it calls "corresponding measures".

"The approach of North Korea by previous administrations is far away: we will give you some here, if you give us some here … We have never seen this work in the past, so the president insists on holding the full pressure campaign until he gets the complete denuclearization, "a US official told CNN
The official added that one of the current concerns is to ensure that the rest of the world, and in particular South Korea, maintain its pressure on Pyongyang. "I think it's worrying that South Korea is getting ahead," said the official.

This is a problem, not just because Trump's summit with Kim paved the way for other world leaders to meet with North Koreans, thus eroding the diplomatic isolation of Pyongyang, but the South Korea, along with China and Russia, have pushed the United States to relax their sanctions. the DPRK.

Meanwhile, Pyongyang's threats to restart its nuclear program this weekend have also increased tensions, according to sources close to trade between the United States and North Korea. They also say that personal friction between negotiators has been a problem.

The US considers that the North Korean general charged with leading negotiations, Kim Yong Chol, is "difficult and out of date" in the negotiations and would prefer to work with someone else.

A US defense official told CNN that part of the problem lies in the fact that, according to the Americans, Kim Yong Chol remains a tough guy and that it could be more and more difficult for the United States.

"It's just a matter of timing," Palladino repeatedly said of the delay at Wednesday's press conference. "Schedules change," he says. "Schedules change all the time, actually."

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Pressed by reporters to find out whether negotiations with Pyongyang were deadlocked over different requests from Washington and Pyongyang, Palladino said the talks were "in a pretty good place" and the schedule of meetings would not be dictated by an "artificial calendar". "will continue to make progress."

The deputy spokesman said the State Department was convinced that inspectors would be allowed to examine North Korea's nuclear facilities.

According to two other senior US defense officials, Washington still believes that Kim is still denuclearization, but part of the slowdown is due to the need to put his own "elite" in the line of fire.

These officials say that this continues to be a problem for the North Korean leader, which could explain Trump's patience. Officials also said that North Korea would be likely to make initial denuclearization declarations that would be neither precise nor truthful, but the United States believes that they can work around this problem.

Trump also said that he would meet Kim "next year, early next year" and made it clear that Pompeo's travel schedule had been changed due to "ongoing trips." We will go there on another date. " Neither the National Security Council nor the State Department were able to explain the other trips mentioned by Trump.