Trump is euphoric with what he regards as his unique achievement in bringing Kim Jong Un to the negotiating table with the dangled carrot of North Korea giving up its nuclear programme. Even commentators grudgingly admit only Trump’s idiosyncratic and blustering approach to Kim Jong Un could have produced this surprising turn of events. However caveats are legion. North Korea has ploughed ahead to finish its nuclear testing, even with sanctions removing a third of their already impoverished economy. Nuclear weapons gives them leverage against the USA and protection. Trump’s childish glee in rushing to accept without conditions has two drawbacks. The first is it puts Kim Jong Un on the same footing as Trump. The second is there is no indication of what pre-conditions Kim would demand – for example removing US troops from South Korea and the end of the US-South Korea Alliance. Nor how much access he would allow to check on the denuclearization programme.
One diplomat said: “Kim is not inviting Trump so that he can surrender North Korea’s weapons. Kim is inviting Trump to demonstrate that his investment in nuclear and missile capabilities has forced the United States to treat him as an equal.”
Two things are clear from the astrology. One is that Kim Jong Un’s Leadership chart is undergoing a complete turnaround at the moment with the Solar Arc Uranus exactly square the 10th house Sun Pluto. I had rather hoped that might topple him, but no sign as of that just of this moment. However tr Saturn is conjunct the Leadership Sun Pluto now, repeating twice before the year end, which doesn’t look exactly ecstatic – blocked and discouraged. Tr Uranus will oppose the Saturn come April, and again later in the year into 2019, which looks high-tension, irritable, self-willed, kicking against restrictions. With a slippery, evasive tr Neptune square his Mercury in May and again later into 2019. He will get a lucky break also in May from tr Uranus conjunct the Jupiter. But his way ahead isn’t straightforward or clear cut.
The other astro-point of interest is Rex Tillerson, who only the day before had said negotiations weren’t a realistic option in the near future, only to be contradicted hours later by his chief. He looks more than usually aggravated with Trump at the moment with tr Saturn square their composite Mars, repeating late May and again in the autumn. He looks teeth-gritted also at the moment with tr Pluto trine his Mars/Saturn midpoint and devastated come April with tr Uranus square his Sun/Neptune midpoint; and further unenthused come May.
The offer isn’t on paper, merely passed on by the South Koreans – and to be noted also the proposed Russian gas pipeline through North Korea will give him eastern protection, so less need of an active nuclear programme.
If anything South Korea looks more unsettled with the USA than NK, so there could be a revision of USA involvement there. Anything is possible but the prospect of Trump rushing in to cut a deal must be giving the State Department panic attacks.