All set for summit

ALL eyes are now on the US-North Korea dialogue set to happen in a few weeks after a successful inter-Korean summit on April 27 between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

One of the most important outcomes of the third inter-Korean summit, which took place for the first time at the truce village of Panmunjeom, was that the two Koreas affirmed the common goal of realising a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula through complete denuclearisation.

The joint “Panmunjeom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and the Unification of the Korean Peninsula” has a special significance in that it contains the two Koreas’ resolution to end the 1950-53 Korean War this year, the year that marks the 65th anniversary of the armistice.

Pyongyang is preparing to dismantle nuclear test sites in May, in full view of experts and the press from South Korea and the US. This is taken as a sign that North Korea is willing to show the US that it can be a trustworthy negotiating partner ahead of the historic meeting between Kim and US President Donald Trump.

Ahead of the Kim-Trump meeting, it is a good sign that the North Korean leader is trying to gain the trust of the US president. Yoon quoted Kim as saying: “The US does not trust us, but after talking with us, it will realise that I am not one to fire nuclear weapons at the South and the Pacific Ocean or aim at the US.” He said there was no reason for North Korea to live with nuclear weapons if “the US promises to end the war and aggression”.

North Korea should fully do its part for a peaceful Korean Peninsula by honouring the Panmunjeom Declaration with concrete measures for denuclearisation.