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Influence Over Principle. This story mainly seems like a thinly sourced exercise in wishful thinking, but this sort of language just grates on me for the idea that all of the problems in the U.S.-South Korean relationship can be solved if the latter did more to “influence” us.

To resolve the discord, Mr. Kim recommended that Seoul assure Washington of its position as a firm ally. “It is most important that South Korea earns U.S. trust on matters that Washington thinks the most important, such as nuclear non-proliferation,” he said. “Secondly, Seoul must find a compromise on North Korea. They should find a mid-point.”

Mr. Kim proposed creating public support for South Korea in the United States. “By using congress and companies doing business with South Korea, it is possible to influence the U.S. government to support Seoul’s position,” he said. “The North Korean nuclear issue can be a subject of such lobbying.”

If lobbying could really smooth over differences as deep and substantial as whether to trust the word of a secretive megalomaniacal psychopath and subsidize the operation of his gargantuan charnel house, I’d find it pretty disillusioning. Fortunately, Mr. Kim won’t find very many asses in this town that will part for a whiff of his sunshine.

Want to improve your image with the American people? Here’s a strong hint.