North and South Korea in talks to officially end six-decade war
SOUTH Korea yesterday confirmed it was in talks with the North to end their peninsula war after 60 years.
Chung Eui-yong, South Korea’s national security adviser, said he was also talking to the US about how to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons.
The meeting came as US president Donald Trump said on Twitter that his CIA director Mike Pompeo had personally met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Mr Pompeo’s landmark visit paves the way for Mr Trump to meet Kim and aides are said to be exploring a number of possible venues.
Officials hope both these moves could end the Korean War, which stopped in 1953 with a North-South truce, but was never formally resolved.
North Korea became a reclusive communist nation, while the South fully embraced capitalism and became a pioneer of new technology.
According to the New York Times, Mr Chung said he had recently held productive meetings with his US counterpart John Bolton, Mr Trump’s recently appointed national security adviser.
Right
Describing the talks, Mr Chung said: “We held in-depth discussions on various ways of how to end hostilities and eventually establish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, how to address the North Korean concerns and how to ensure a bright future for the North if it makes the right choice.
“Mr Bolton made it clear to me that he will do his best as an honest broker in successfully implementing President Trump’s peace policy on the Korean Peninsula.”
Kim will meet South Korean president Moon Jae-in next week and Mr Chung said he hoped the two leaders would be able to jointly announce a plan which would denuclearise the Korean Peninsula and ban military hostilities.
A peace treaty could possibly follow, but more negotiations will be needed.
Yesterday Mr Trump said he would support the efforts, tweeting: “Mike Pompeo met with Kim Jong-un in North Korea last week.
“Meeting went very smoothly and a good relationship was formed. Details of summit are being worked out now. Denuclearisation will be a great thing for World, but also for North Korea!”
Mr Trump’s Twitter diplomacy previously angered North Korea – he taunted Kim, calling him “little rocket man”, prompting fury from Pyongyang.
But in recent months the North Korean leader has softened his tone and a meeting with Mr Trump is being pencilled in for May or June, after Kim’s meeting with Mr Moon.
The fact Mr Pompeo was sent to hold the historic talks with North Korea is further evidence Mr Trump hopes to make him secretary of state America’s top diplomat.
The president’s former secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, was sacked on March 13.
The developments came as Mr Trump hosted Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
Mr and Mrs Abe were seen walking on the lawn with Mr Trump and his wife Melania, who looked elegant in a £2,000 black and white striped Carolina Herrera dress and white high heels.
WELL that’s a turn up for the books. After months of increasing bellicosity on both sides we learn that the CIA director Mike Pompeo has met the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. More than that they forged a “good relationship”. Whatever next?
Say what you like about President Trump but he does appear to be getting things done. Perhaps this is the best approach after all? He has shown himself unafraid to take action, matches deeds to his words and now has brought one of the world’s most unpredictable leaders to the debating table.
Incidentally, if President Obama had done this the world would be singing his praises, whereas because it is President Trump, acclaim is decidedly more muted. Be fair: credit where it is due.