U.S.-North Korea summit raises cautious hope among Korean Americans

In an historic moment, Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un shook hands to begin the Singapore summit.

ASAM NEWS

THE IDEA of a unified Korea is incredibly important to Korean American immigrants. Cautious hope for family reunification and peace are being expressed following the summit between Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Joon Bang, Executive Director of the Korean American Coalition in Los Angeles, attended a watch party with more than 30 other people.

“You know, it was kind of surreal. It was almost like watching a cartoon. It was really a lot to take in, I think,” Bang said to KABC. “”It was a really emotional experience.”

The prospect of peace on the Korean peninsula is something Tony Choi feels Americans who aren’t Korean don’t fully appreciate.

“You don’t have to be fans of Trump and/or Kim Jong Un to support the Korean peace process,” he told HuffPost. “The majority of the Korean people want the peace talks, and I think a lot of people aren’t respecting that. People feel uncomfortable because of who’s doing it.”

Neither Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump have a very good record in upholding promises or abiding by treaties. 

Trump withdrew from the TPP treaty, wants a redo with NAFTA, strongly critical of the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration and walked away from the Paris accord on climate change.

In Federal Way, Washington, Sara Oh, president of the Federal Way Korean American Association, echoed the feeling that the whole thing is “surreal.”

“The general message is hopeful,” Oh said to the Federal Way Mirror. “It’s something I didn’t think I’d see in my lifetime.”

John Lee is Vice President of the Korean American Association of Chicago. For him, the summit will go a long way in easing political tensions between the North and South.

“We need to relax the tension,” he said to the Daily Journal.

"Reunification isn't about policy," journalist Grace Kahng told KGO-TV, "it's about life or death. If the countries don't reunify and the border isn't opened up, then health care services, food and basic needs will not be met by North Koreans and they will die."

Others point out that the impossible has happened before.

“If West and East Germany can unify, then we can certainly wish that Korea will one day be unified,” said Susan Turner, a Korean American.

Views From the Edge contributed to this report.

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Giuliani, administration walks back on Korean American prisoners in North Korea

SCREEN CAPTURE

Rudy Giuliani, right, on 'Fox & Friends.'

THERE'S STILL NO WORD about the imminent release of three Korean/Americans being detained in North Korea.

It is beginning to look more and more like the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.

Five days ago, on Thursday, Rudy Giuliani's comments and tweets fron Donald Trump seem to infer that the release of the three Korean Americans was almost a done deal and could occur almost immediately.

Giuliani, who had just joined Trump's legal team to handle allegations of a relationship with stripper Stormy Daniels, said Thursday on Fox & Friends that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would be releasing three American prisoners, inferring that it would happen that same day.

Trump seemed to reinforce this announcement. “As everybody is aware," Trump tweeted, "the past Administration has long been asking for three hostages to be released from a North Korean Labor camp, but to no avail. Stay tuned!"

But there was no confirmation from either the Trump administration or North Korea.

By Saturday, the former mayor of New York City was backing off on his announcement. He told reporters, "I don't know the status" of the three men held in North Korea and added, "the less said about it right now, the better."

"I'm praying it will get done," he told reporters. "They're working on it. I'm not privy to what they're doing. I'm reading the newspapers like you are."

“Why is Rudy Giuliani talking about issues of national security?” CBS moderator Margaret Brennan asked Kellyanne Conway on Face the Nation Sunday. “He is speaking about the release of three American prisoners from North Korea whose lives are literally on the line.”

“They are,” Conway replied. “And we are very hopeful, but obviously very anxious about hostages abroad –” Conway, Trump's advisor and former campaign manager, couldn't explain why Giuliani made the premature announcement about the detained Korean/Americans, raising the hopes of their relatives.

The State Department finally had to speak up to answer speculation and the false hope raised for the families of the Korean American political prisoners. Giuliani "speaks for himself and not on behalf of the administration on foreign policy," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Monday.

The three Korean/Americans — Kim Hak-Song, also known as Jin Xue Song; Tony Kim, also known as Kim Sang-Duk; and Kim Dong-Chul — were reportedly moved from their prison to a hotel and getting medical treatment ahead of a possible release. They were arrested on charges against the government of Kim Jong-Un.

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