South Korea approves $8 million aid for the North even as Kim and Trump trade threats

by Dramelin 2:00 AM 0 comments

The news indicates South Korean President Moon Jae-In isn`t backing down from direct engagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un even as other major players in the long-simmering crisis push for a tougher approach.
President Donald Trump announced fresh sanctions against the rogue state on Thursday amid a swap of insults between the two leaders — Kim referred to the Republican`s U.
speech as "the most ferocious declaration of a war in history.
" Even China, which has long been reluctant to pressure the North, upped its stance on Thursday by ordering domestic banks to halt business dealings with the pariah nation, according to a Reuters report.
Forging ahead with a softer stance on Kim despite the North`s recent nuclear and ballistic missile tests "has put South Korea at odds with its U.
and Japanese counterparts," political consultancy Stratfor said in a recent note.
Earlier this month, Trump claimed on Twitter that Moon was "appeasing" Pyongyang, while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged Moon to reconsider his strategy during a telephone call last week.
Japanese chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga has also warned against any actions that would undermine pressure on the North.
Moon`s conciliatory stance will certainly complicate efforts by the U.
and Japan to isolate Kim, warned Stephen Nagy, associate professor at Tokyo- based International Christian University.
To South Korea`s defense, its latest aid disbursement was relatively small compared with earlier packages.