Positive direction
Kim agrees to dismantle main nuke site if US takes steps too.
PYONGYANG: South Korean President Moon Jaein and North Korean leader Kim Jongun have announced a sweeping set of agreements after their second day of talks in Pyongyang, including a promise by Kim to permanently dismantle the North’s main nuclear complex if the United States takes corresponding measures, the acceptance of international inspectors to monitor the closing of a key missile test site and launch pad and a vow to work together to host the Summer Olympics in 2032.
Declaring that they had taken a major step toward peace on the Korean Peninsula, the two leaders were side by side as they announced the joint statement to a group of North and South Korean reporters after a closeddoor meeting yesterday morning.
“We have agreed to make the Korean Peninsula a land of peace that is free from nuclear weapons and nuclear threat,” Kim said as he stood by Moon’s side at the guesthouse where Moon was staying.
“The road to our future will not always be smooth and we may face challenges and trials we can’t anticipate. But we aren’t afraid of headwinds because our strength will grow as we overcome each trial based on the strength of our nation.”
Kim and Moon earlier smiled and chatted as they walked into a meeting room to finalise the joint statement, which also said the leaders would push for a Korean Peninsula without nuclear weapons and to “eliminate all the danger of war”.
They agreed that Kim would visit the South in the near future.
The statement caps off the third summit between Kim and Moon, who is under increasing pressure from Washington to find a path forward in its efforts to get Kim to completely – and unilaterally – abandon his nuclear arsenal.
But while containing several tantalising offers, it appeared to fall short of the major steps many in Washington had been looking for – such as a commitment by Pyongyang to provide a list of the North’s nuclear facilities, a solid stepbystep timeline or an agreement to let international inspectors in to assess progress or discover violations.
The question is whether it will be enough for US President Donald Trump to pick up where Moon has left off.
Trump has maintained that he and Kim have a solid relationship, and both leaders have expressed interest in a followup summit to their meeting in June in Singapore.
North Korea has demanded a declaration formally ending the Korean War, which was stopped in 1953 by a ceasefire, but neither leader mentioned it as they read the joint statement.
According to a joint statement signed by the countries’ defence chiefs, the two Koreas would establish buffer zones along their land and sea borders to reduce military ten sions and prevent accidental clashes.
They also agreed to withdraw 11 guard posts from the Demilitarised Zone by December and to establish a nofly zone above the military demarcation line bisecting the two Koreas that will apply to planes, helicopters and drones.
The leaders’ announcement that they would seek a joint Summer Olympics was a significant move in terms of easing tensions and building trust.
Other agreements aimed to remove some longstanding irritants from their relations, such as allowing more contact between families divided by the Korean War.