Good president, bad Treasury?

Something odd is going on...

A day after reports that the February summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un broke down in part over North Korea's insistence that the United States remove the strategic nuclear umbrella and the dismantling of the Indian Pacific Command, according to South Korea's DongA, citing the CIA's former Korea Mission Center Chief Andrew Kim; President Trump has very rapidly rescinded his Treasury's new sanctions on the communist nation.

Just a few hours after Treasury sanctioned two shipping companies - Dalian Haibo International Freight Co Ltd. and Liaoning Danxing International Forwarding Co. Ltd. - for using deceptive methods to circumvent international and U.S. sanctions and the U.S. commitment to implementing U.N. Security Council resolutions:

“The United States and our like-minded partners remain committed to achieving the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea and believe that the full implementation of North Korea-related U.N. Security Council resolutions is crucial to a successful outcome,” Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, said in a statement.

Trump tweeted...

"It was announced today by the U.S. Treasury that additional large scale Sanctions would be added to those already existing Sanctions on North Korea. I have today ordered the withdrawal of those additional Sanctions!"

It was announced today by the U.S. Treasury that additional large scale Sanctions would be added to those already existing Sanctions on North Korea. I have today ordered the withdrawal of those additional Sanctions! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 22, 2019

From 'sound and fury' to 'soft and cuddly'?

This move also comes after reports that North Korea withdrew from an office it set up with South Korea about six months ago that allowed the rivals to communicate around the clock, dealing a blow to President Moon Jae-in’s rapprochement efforts.

North Korea informed South Korea on Friday that it would stop participating in the liaison office north of the border in Gaeseong city, Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung told reporters. The North Koreans said they were “pulling out with instructions from the superior authority,” Chun said.

cough-China-cough...