Positive signals for US-N. Korea summit
By Tong Kim
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A continuing flow of positive signals from Seoul, Pyongyang and Washington bodes well for the upcoming summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. In the April 27 Panmunjeom Declaration, the leaders of both Koreas declared “there will be no more war” and they agreed on the goal of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula through “complete denuclearization.”
They also agreed to revive and implement “all existing agreements and declarations” they have adopted thus far, including the non-aggression agreement of 1992. The declaration was focused on peace and elimination of concerns of war, including establishment of a peace regime that will end the war in Korea and replace the 65-year-old armistice agreement.
Trump's response to the outcome of the inter-Korean summit has so far been positive. He said, “the war will end in Korea.” After President Moon Jae-on said if anyone deserves a Nobel Peace Prize, it's Trump. Trump said Moon was generous and tweeted “peace is the prize.” Trump was upbeat on the prospect of Pyongyang's release of three American detainees, tweeting “stay tuned.”
Trump's advisers are well aware of caveats that Trump's meeting with Kim could fail to completely get rid of North Korea's nuclear weapons. After he met with Kim, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo concluded there is an opportunity for Trump to resolve the issue. Both Pompeo and John Bolton, U.S. national security adviser, say they are clear-eyed, not “starry-eyed” on the complexity and risks of dealing with the North Koreans.
Kim's promise to dismantle the North's nuclear testing site, inviting experts and reporters as witnesses, is another constructive signal. President Moon has asked the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for U.N.'s participation in verifying the site closure. Kim doubled down on economic construction with all efforts, steering away from developing weapons.
In Washington voices of skepticism are raised mainly from so-called Korea experts and those who worked in the previous administrations who all failed, as accused by Trump, to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. Most Americans simply do not like North Korea. They have hardly heard anything good about the secluded, socialist country. It was not an exaggeration when Don Gregg, former U.S. ambassador to Seoul, said North Korea has been “demonized” by the U.S. media.
Kim Jong-un said recently, “I know Americans have 'visceral resistance' against us, but if we talk to each other, they will see I am not the kind of person who would fire a missile to the South, over the Pacific or to the United States.”
Nobody is expecting a single summit will resolve all the issues related to North Korea's WMD programs that the North has developed for decades.
Trump should be prepared to respond to Kim's concerns and demands ― security guarantees of his regime, a peace agreement (not a treaty), lifting or easing of sanctions, as well as recognition of North Korea.
Kim is likely to raise the issues of scaling down on joint Korea-U.S. exercises and deploying U.S. strategic assets that carry nuclear weapons. Trump should be prepared to pay the proper price in return for Kim's commitment to denuclearization and concrete measures to implement it.
In negotiation, terms matter, and it is important that both parties have the same concept of terms being used. In international agreements or treaties, terms are often defined at the outset to make sure there will be no misunderstandings. The meaning of “denuclearization,” “complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization,” or that of “permanent, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization” can be settled before the discussion of other details.
While skeptics believe a peace regime would require American troop withdrawal from Korea, there were previous understandings during the 2000 inter-Korean summit that U.S. troop presence may continue beyond Korean unification for peace keeping and for regional stability. They also remember the North has insisted upon a “denuclearization zone” round the peninsula where no nuclear weapons would be allowed.
Now we are dealing with a different North Korean leader, a different situation, more at stake than ever before. The world prays for a peaceful resolution.
Tong Kim (tong.kim8@yahoo.com) is a Washington correspondent and columnist for The Korea Times. He is also a fellow at the Institute of Korean-American Studies.