Show of unity in Korea
Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in visited the spiritual birthplace of the Korean nation on Thursday for a show of unity after their North-South summit gave new impetus to Pyongyang’s negotiations with Washington.
Kim on Wednesday agreed to shutter the Tongchang-ri missile-testing site in the presence of international observers, a move the US welcomed by saying it was ready for immediate talks aimed at denuclearising the North.
Pyongyang also said it could dismantle its best-known nuclear facility at Yongbyon, if the US took “corresponding measures”, as Kim and the South Korean president held their third summit this year.
It is an important caveat – Moon told reporters on his return to Seoul that the US would need to end hostile relations with North Korea and provide security guarantees for the North Korean regime.
But the declaration appeared to break the North’s logjam with Washington.
President Donald Trump welcomed the move, tweeting that Kim had “agreed to allow nuclear inspections, subject to final negotiations”, adding: “Very exciting!”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also praised the “important commitments”, saying he invited his North Korean counterpart to talk next week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, and representatives of both sides to meet at the earliest opportunity in Vienna – home of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Washington was ready to engage immediately in negotiations to achieve the North’s denuclearisation by January 2021, Pompeo said – the end of Trump’s first term.
Kim was hoping for a second summit with Trump at an early date, Moon said in Seoul after concluding his three-day trip.
He said he would take the US president a message from Kim when he meets him himself next week.
The nuclear discussions had stalled after the first summit between Trump and Kim in Singapore in June, when Kim declared his backing for denuclearisation of the peninsula, but no details were agreed.
Washington and Pyongyang have subsequently sparred over what exactly that means. –