History was made on the Korean Peninsula on April 27, 2018 with the summit between President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). The agreement between the two leaders at the Peace House at Panmunjom was more fruitful than expected and paved the way for the denuclearization of North Korea as well as the official end of the Korean War.
Since his inauguration in May 2017, President Moon’s diplomacy efforts have turned fear of the possibility of war on the Korean Peninsula into hope for peace and stability. The amicable atmosphere created by North Korean participation in the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic Winter Games improved relations once threatened by North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile provocations. The achievements reached during the recent summit are remarkable compared to the previous summits between South and North Korea in 2000 and 2007.
The agreement reached with the signing of the “Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity, and Unification of the Korean Peninsula” can be summarized as follows:
First, the leaders “confirmed the common goal of realizing, through complete denuclearization, a nuclear-free peninsula.” South and North Korea shared the view that measures initiated by North Korea are very meaningful and crucial for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Second, the Declaration stresses that “improving and cultivating inter-Korean relations is the prevalent desire of the whole nation and the urgent calling of the times that cannot be held back any further.” The two leaders agreed to actively implement projects previously agreed to in the 2007 October 4 Declaration, in order to promote balanced economic growth and co-prosperity of the nations.
Third, the Declaration underlines that the two Koreas “will make joint efforts to alleviate military tension and practically eliminate the danger of war on the Korean Peninsula.” The two leaders agreed to completely cease all hostile acts and convene military talks at the rank of general in May.
Finally, the two Koreas “will actively cooperate to establish a permanent and solid peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.” To this end, the two leaders reaffirmed the Non-Aggression Agreement of 1992 and agreed to carry out disarmament in a phased manner.
The substantial progress in denuclearization and establishing a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula cannot be achieved without full support from the international community. The strong support and close cooperation of the international community is needed more than ever to realize this goal of attaining peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula. In particular, the United States can play a vital role in this process.
Another historic event is approaching. The upcoming summit between President Donald Trump of the United States and Chairman Kim Jong Un of North Korea will take place in June of this year. The agreement reached by the two Korea last month can be put into action only with the success of the U.S. and North Korea summit. The South Korean government has made concerted efforts for the success of the upcoming U.S.-North Korea summit.
South Korea and the United States both recognize the necessity of complete denuclearization of North Korea. Chairman Kim also showed his explicit will to do so in the Panmunjom Declaration. An agreement for more specific ways to accomplish the complete denuclearization of North Korea should be the focus of the summit between the United States and North Korea. Beyond the denuclearization of North Korea, both Koreas are going to work on the improvement of inter-Korean relations. Such efforts will be coordinated with the United States’ efforts to normalize relations with North Korea.
The people of South Korea and the world now have higher expectations for bringing peace to the Korean Peninsula. In order to turn possibility into reality, the two Koreas, the United States, and the international community should make every effort to overcome the many challenges ahead. I sincerely hope that the iron curtain between South and North Korea will collapse as the Berlin Wall did in 1989.
The mission to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula and the East Asia region is not impossible. It is achievable. We, the Korean people, want to see the two Koreas become good neighbors and perhaps reunited sooner than the world expects.
Young-jun Kim is Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Atlanta.
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