South Korean President Moon Jae-in (right) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (Photo: Facebook)
Kim Jong-un became the first North Korean leader in modern history to cross into the South Korean territory when he met with South Korea’s Moon Jae-in on Thursday in a historic summit at the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). This is only the third meeting of its kind since the Korean War that ended in 1953. The last two summits occurred in 2000 and 2007. This is also a huge step forward in participation for President Trump’s meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Per ABC, the two leaders planned to “take a pleasant walk, plant a commemorative tree, inspect an honor guard and belly-up to a lavish banquet.”
South Korean President Moon Jae-in (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (Photo: Facebook)
“South and North Korea confirmed the common goal of realizing, through complete denuclearization, a nuclear-free Korean peninsula,” read a statement signed by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North’s leader Kim Jong-un after their meeting at the border village of Panmunjom. The agreements came at the end of a day of unprecedented diplomatic stagecraft emphasizing hopes for reconciliation and disarmament that was broadcast live around the world, beginning with a smile and handshake that Mr Kim and Mr Moon shared at the border and extending to a quiet 30-minute talk they had near the end of the day in a wooded area of the village.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in (right) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (Photo: Facebook)
US Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement: “On the occasion of Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in’s historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, we wish the Korean people well. We are hopeful that talks will achieve progress toward a future of peace and prosperity for the entire Korean Peninsula. The United States appreciates the close coordination with our ally, the Republic of Korea, and looks forward to continuing robust discussions in preparing for the planned meeting between President Donald J. Trump and Kim Jong-un in the coming weeks.”
Perhaps the Trump-Kim meeting which is scheduled in a couple months will yield concrete North Korean steps toward disarmament. Or perhaps the Trump-Kim meeting will go the way of the president’s promised military parade: modified by calmer heads in the administration into a series of lower-level preparatory meetings that do no harm. Analysts, however, have also warned that once negotiations begin with the United States, Pyongyang could push them into a stalemate by trying to drag Washington into nuclear arms reduction talks.
To prevent another as did repeatedly in the 2000s, South Korea was trying to persuade North Korea to agree to a specific timeline for complete denuclearization: as soon as possible and no later than the end of Mr Trump’s current term, in early 2021, according to South Korean officials. During their morning talks, Mr Kim pushed for more summit meetings with Mr Moon saying he would like to visit the presidential Blue House in Seoul. He said North Korea would cooperate to make a “better world.”
By MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr) |
