Kim Jong-un’s new year address may be somewhat bellicose
The speech provides an opportunity to signal whether he intends to mend fences or escalate tensions — most signs point to escalation
Tokyo/Seoul — For months, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been threatening to take a “new path” in nuclear talks if US President Donald Trump doesn’t sweeten the deal by the end of the year. Now, the world might learn where that road leads.
Kim’s biggest annual speech — a televised New Year’s address to the North Korean people — will provide an opportunity hours after his self-imposed deadline passes to signal whether he intends to mend fences or escalate tensions. He has used the event to do both before: previewing a breakthrough intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch in 2017 and opening the door to talks with South Korea a year later...
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