On September 21st, in front of thousands of North Korean delegates, Kim paused for three seconds when he mentioned Trump, and then said, "I still have fond memories of Trump." It seemed gentle and polite, but then the conversation changed and he added a premise-the United States must first give up its illusion of denuclearization.
Just as Trump was thinking about resuming the dialogue with North Korea, Kim Jong-un suddenly took the initiative directly into his hands. This trick not only left Trump's years of "North Korea plan" instantly invalid, but also pushed South Korean President Lee in the difficult position to retreat.
Back a few months ago, Trump met with a Korean economic delegation at the White House. Instead of talking about trade or defense spending that day, he suddenly asked, "How is Kim Jong-un doing recently?" This sentence left the South Korean delegates present speechless for a moment. Everyone knows that this is not a simple greeting, but rather Trump is exploring the way for his new round of “North Korea strategy.”
He wants to go back to the old path of 2018. That year, he and Kim Jong-un met three times. Although they didn't talk about any substantial results, they at least made history. Now, he wants to replicate that "diplomatic miracle" again, using the lifting of some sanctions as a bargaining chip in exchange for North Korea's freezing of its nuclear program, packaging it into a "victory over the DPRK" and winning political capital for himself.
This time, he also pulled the new South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. Lee Jae-myung even told Trump in public that he hoped he could come to North Korea to play golf in the future. It seems that the United States and South Korea have prepared a set of combination boxing, just waiting for North Korea to take the bait.
But they underestimated Kim Jong-un.On the same day on September 21, North Korea suddenly released two heavy news. The first is the word that made Trump’s plan completely bankrupt; the second is the parade preparation information disclosed by the Associated Press.Intelligence shows that Pyongyang has recently been preparing a massive parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Labour Party.
Why did you choose this time for the military parade? It was probably inspired by China's "93 military parade". At the beginning of this month, Kim Jong-un visited China, participated in the military parade, and stayed in China for five days and four nights. I not only saw the achievements of China's military modernization, but also felt China's strategic determination on the international stage.
On the one hand, Kim Jong-un intensely inspected the military base and proposed a “nuclear weapons and conventional weapons” policy; on the other hand, North Korea also completed the ninth ground fire test of a carbon fiber solid fuel engine, this engine can reduce the missile preparation time by 70%, so that North Korea’s nuclear deterrence capability to step up again.
This is where Kim Jong-un dares to set conditions.Trump’s calculation was very clear. He wanted to get North Korea geopolitically isolated from China and Russia by pulling it away. If he succeeded, he could not only add points at home, but also put a gap between China and Russia, changing the strategic pattern of the entire Northeast Asia.
But Kim Jong-un's words brought all plans back to the original point. If the United States accepts North Korea's nuclear support, it is betraying South Korea; If you don't accept it, you can't start the conversation. This is not a negotiation condition, but directly pushing the other party into a dead corner.
More importantly, this has also laid a precise wedge between the United States and South Korea. South Korea has always insisted on "denuclearization of the peninsula", and if the United States shows even a little loosening, South Korea will begin to doubt it. The call for the withdrawal of wartime command will rise again.
Lee also became embarrassing in his situation. He originally wanted to use Trump’s “openness to the DPRK” to boost South Korea’s leadership in the situation on the peninsula.But now North Korea refuses to abandon its nuclear program, which completely tightens South Korea's national security nerves.
At the same time, public opinion in South Korea began to turn. Some citizens teased when they saw the price increase of steak in the supermarket: " A lot of military expenses have been spent, and beef is hardly affordable."Korean people began to question: Can the military exercises between the United States and South Korea really bring a sense of security?
In particular, while North Korea highlighted military achievements abroad, it continued to emphasize economic recovery. According to South Korean media disclosures, the growth rate of North Korea's GDP in 2024 reached 3.7%, not only the highest level in recent years, but even exceeded South Korea.
Kim Jong-un’s speech was not a surprise, but a carefully arranged outcome. From technical tests to diplomatic actions, to public statements, every step stumbled on the pain of the United States. Even the choice of time was highly strategic. North Korea chose to send a signal on the 80th anniversary of the Labour Party, not only for domestic cohesion, but also to show its decision-making independence and strategic initiative to the outside.
In this game, the United States has become a passive party. Trump originally hoped to contain North Korea through military deployment and economic bait, but as a result, he not only failed to contain it, but also gave Kim Jong-un more excuses to strengthen military construction.
In July, the U.S. military deployed the MQ-9 "Death God" drone at the Korean Mountains base, which was intended to increase deterrence, but now became a "setting up".In August, the United States and South Korea signed the Joint Response to Local Provocations Plan, claiming that North Korea automatically intervened once it took action.
This soft and hard misstatement has completely collapsed Trump’s strategic image.China has repeatedly warned the United States not to attempt to interfere in the Korean Peninsula affairs by force and sanctions.China has advocated a “double-track parallel” – promoting peace mechanisms on the Korean Peninsula andining regional stability on the other hand.
The facts now prove, China’s judgment is accurate, China’s position is clear, and China’s strategy is robust.Kim Jong-un mentioned Trump's words, seemingly gentle, in fact sharp, he not only accurately hit Trump's political plans, but also caused the US-Korean alliance to shake.
More importantly, he also demonstrated one thing with the military power and economic development of his country: As long as strategic determination is sufficient, small countries can also break the misery of the big powers.
North Korea's "psychological warfare" is far more lethal than the missile test. Trump originally wanted to use North Korea to incite China and Russia, but was forced into a dead corner by Kim Jong Un's backhand. Today's situation, as China has judged, is that the more external forces want to control the peninsula, the easier it is to get out of control.
Kim Jong-un's words are powerful because he has thoroughly seen the strategic miscarriages of the United States and South Korea, and China's steady diplomatic approach is being proved correct by reality once and for all.
Source of information:
Kim Jong-un: If the United States no longer demands the denuclearization of North Korea, there may be a dialogue between the US and the DPRK
Kim Jong-un says North Korea will not give up nuclear weapons, China responds