North And South Korea Looking For Peace, But Kim Jong Un Expects Action From The U.S.
History was made today when North and South Korea agreed to peace.
Presidents Moon Jae-in of South Korea and Kim Jong Un of North Korea held a joint press conference Wednesday to make an epic announcement: they’re committed to an “era of no war.”
This is the second in a three-day summit the two leaders are holding in an effort to halt the threat of war between the two nations. The two announced that they are committed to peace.
“The world is going to see how this divided nation is going to bring about a new future on its own,” said Kim Jong Un, as reported by CNN.
In a signed agreement, North Korea’s president agreed to visit Seoul, South Korea, in the near future. This is an unprecedented visit, as no North Korean leader has ever visited its neighbor to the south. Kim Jong Il, the late father of Kim Jong Un, made a promise to visit South Korea during his tenure as North Korea’s leader. He never made good on that promise.
As part of the deal, North Korea will close a missile test facility. North Korea will also close a nuclear complex, but only if the U.S. agrees to do the same thing.
The defense chiefs of both countries also signed a 17-page agreement. In it, the two countries agreed to “cease all hostile acts against each other.”
“Today, the North and South decided to remove all threats that can cause war from the entire Korean peninsula,” said Moon Jae-in.
The agreement states that the two countries will create road and rail links between them, submit a joint bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics, cease military drills along the Demarcation Line, and remove 11 guard posts in the demilitarized zone.
The historic agreement was unimaginable just a few years ago. The two countries have been extremely isolated from each other in recent decades, with the threat of massive war always looming along their shared border.
The two leaders of the Korean peninsula have met three times since April, leading to this historic agreement.
The BBC reports that the U.S. also made history with North Korea when Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un agreed to work toward denuclearizing. After this meeting, little has happened to further these efforts, and talks have seemingly stalled.
The wording of the agreement makes it clear that North Korea is willing to make that move toward denuclearization, but they want to see the U.S. do the same thing first. This leaves it up to Donald Trump to help write these new pages of history.
Kim Jong Un has agreed to allow Nuclear inspections, subject to final negotiations, and to permanently dismantle a test site and launch pad in the presence of international experts. In the meantime there will be no Rocket or Nuclear testing. Hero remains to continue being……..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 19, 2018
Trump has already remarked on the summit via Twitter. However, he has not stated what actions he will take to help North and South Korea move toward the progress they seek.
