Summit puts NK denuclearization back on track, eases cross
South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday wrapped up his three-day visit to North Korea, marked by two meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and signs that Pyongyang and Washington would soon return to the table for denuclearization talks.
After signing the Pyongyang Declaration on Wednesday, Kim said he and Moon had “pledged to make the Joseon (Korean) Peninsula a land of peace without nuclear weapons or nuclear threats,” vowing to take additional steps toward denuclearization. He even agreed to visit Seoul later in the year, which would be unprecedented if realized.
The initial step is the permanent dismantlement of the North’s key missile engine test site and missile launch pad in Tongchang-ri.
Permanently dismantling the Yongbyon nuclear facility -- the symbol of the communist state’s nuclear ambitions -- was on the table as well, albeit under the condition of the US taking “corresponding measures.”
While no major developments were set in motion, experts viewed the summit as a meaningful first step toward denuclearization that is keeping the ongoing momentum alive.
Harry Kazianis, director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest, said while the international community was desperately seeking “dramatic changes” in the North -- the relinquishment of all its missile and nuclear programs -- it was “miraculous” that Wednesday’s agreement had been reached.
Jump-starting the Washington-Pyongyang talks on denuclearization, easing military tensions and improving inter-Korea relations were the three main agenda items for South Korea going into the summit.
On the sidelines of the summit, the defense ministers of the two Koreas signed a military agreement that centers on creating a buffer zone to prevent cross-border hostilities. This includes establishing a “no-fly zone” inside the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone, suspending military drills near the DMZ and the disputed waters in the West Sea, and disarmament of the Joint Security Area.
Described by the South Korean presidential office as a “de facto nonaggression pact,” the military agreement is considered an important steppingstone to declaring the end of the 1950-53 Korea War. The two Koreas technically remain at war, as the Korean War ended in an armistice.
Measures for the family members separated by the war include a permanent reunion facility in the North’s Kumgangsan area.
The two sides also agreed on cross-border exchanges and economic cooperation, including joint projects within the year to connect railways and roads across the border, the resumption of Kumgangsan tours and reopening of the Kaesong industrial park.
In another notable first, Moon directly mentioned the North’s denuclearization several times, including at his speech Wednesday in front of the 150,000 North Koreans attending the Mass Games performance.
While the two Koreas took a significant first step, the Pyongyang Declaration is missing some of the key demands from the US, such an inventory of its nuclear program.
There was also no mention of the North giving up its stockpile of ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads.
In addition, agreement on economic cooperation cannot be implemented without the lifting of UN sanctions against North Korea.
In response to the Pyongyang Declaration, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo invited his North Korean counterpart, Ri Yong-ho, to meet next week at the UN General Assembly, a move that would restart the denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington.
Neighboring countries China, Japan and Russia also welcomed the outcome of the inter-Korean summit -- particularly the easing of military tensions and the promotion of peace talks and denuclearization.
By Yoon Min-sik and Joint Press Corps (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)
相关推荐
-
CrowdStrike outage is still causing hundreds of flight cancellations daily
-
S. Korea's population likely to start shrinking in 2032
-
Spurs vow action after Ramsdale attacked
-
助力全省民生项目三万余个!福彩公益金加力提速推进“百千万工程”
-
LG Display starts production of advanced OLED displays for gaming
-
Barack Obama offers sage advice to 2020's 'Zoom University' graduates
- 最近发表
-
- NCT member Taeil leaves band over sexual offense allegations
- 粤喀联动会诊,一场跨越万里的减重“大作战”
- 方寸刻春秋 修车匠杨俊新的“篆刻人生”
- 国青拳击冠军童钢携手封开杏花鸡,祝莘莘学子大鹏展翅,一飞冲天!
- South Korea beefs up drills amid escalating NK provocations
- @广东农户:“马力斯”即将登陆广东,农业生产需注意防御
- Defense chiefs of North Korea, Russia hold talks in Pyongyang: TASS
- Turkeys ritualistically circling a dead cat is as beautiful as it is frightening
- New image shows the North Star is changing. And it has spots.
- Dev Patel has a girlfriend and everyone feels personally victimised
- 随机阅读
-
- SCOTUS: The courts implementing Project 2025, without Trump.
- 以赛促练 提高执法水平
- Number of NK defectors up 16.7% on
- Arsenal face stern Man Utd challenge
- Garmin Fenix 8 vs. Apple Watch Ultra: The Fenix wins big on battery life
- Barack Obama offers sage advice to 2020's 'Zoom University' graduates
- S. Korea's population likely to start shrinking in 2032
- [Focus] Constitutional Court stacked in favor of Park?
- 优化广东优质农产品产销资源对接!“农友圈”又有新动作
- U.N. Security Council to hold meeting on N.K. missile launch
- N. Korea slams US reconnaissance aircraft for intruding in airspace
- 我市监狱系统首个法律援助工作站挂牌成立
- 3D Game Rendering 101
- Little kid aims his pro stink eye at a chip thief
- 家风和谐 孝道相传
- 雅安市第二届人民代表大会常务委员会代表资格审查委员会名单
- Norris stuns Verstappen at Dutch GP
- United earn Ten Hag's trust after hot streak
- 凤翔“神果”上亿品牌养成记
- 寻找生态之美 感受雅安生态魅力
- 搜索
-
- 友情链接
-