Kim and Moon raise hands on sacred N. Korea volcano
PYONGYANG: The leaders of the rival Koreas took to the road for the final day of their summit, standing on the peak of a beautiful volcano considered sacred in the North and a centrepiece of propaganda used to legitimise the Kim family’s rule, their hands clasped and raised in a pose of triumph.
Their trip yesterday to the mountain on the North KoreanChinese border, and the striking photoop that will resonate in both Koreas, followed a day of wideranging agreements they trumpeted as a major step toward peace.
But their premier accord on the issue that most worries the world – the North’s pursuit of nucleartipped missiles that can accurately strike the US mainland – contained a big condition: Kim Jongun said he would permanently dismantle North Korea’s main nuclear facility only if the United States took unspecified corresponding measures.
Kim and South Korean President Moon Jaein flew separately to an airport near Mount Paektu yesterday morning, where they then met up and drove to the mountain.
Photos showed the leaders smiling broadly as they posed at the summit, their wives grinning at their sides, a pure blue sky and the deep crater lake that tops the volcano in the background.
Members of the Kim family are referred to as sharing the “Paektu Bloodline”. The volcano is emblazoned on the national emblem and lends its name to everything from rockets to power stations.
Many South Koreans also feel drawn to the volcano, which, according to Korean mythology, was the birthplace of Dangun, the founder of the first ancient Korean kingdom, and has long been considered one of the most beautiful places on the peninsula.
Moon planned to return to South Korea later yesterday, as the leaders basked in the glow of the joint statement they settled on Wednesday.
Compared to the vague language of their two earlier summits, they seem to have agreed on an ambitious programme to tackle soaring tensions last year that had many fearing war as the North tested increasingly powerful weapons.
Kim promised to accept international inspectors to monitor the closing of a key missile test site and launch pad and to visit Seoul soon, and both leaders vowed to work together to try to host the Summer Olympics in 2032.
But while containing several tantalising offers, the joint statement appeared to fall short of the major steps many in Washington had hoped for – such as a commitment by Kim to provide a list of North Korea’s nuclear facilities, a solid stepbystep timeline for closing them down, or an agreement to let international inspectors assess progress or discover violations.
It also was unclear what “corresponding steps” North Korea wanted from the United States to dismantle its nuclear site.
The question is whether it will be enough for President Donald Trump to pick up where Moon has left off.
Trump said on Wednesday that the outcome of the summit was “very good news”.
He did not indicate whether the United States would be willing to further encourage North Korean action on denuclearisation.