SHIFT IN U.S. - NORTH KOREA RELATIONS

SHIFT IN U.S. – NORTH KOREA RELATIONS

May 11, 2018 Editorial

For almost three decades, no diplomatic relations had existed between the United States and North Korea, which the U.S. labelled a rogue state because of its development of nuclear weapons.
And to make matters worse, several U.S. presidents have refused to have any high level meeting with Korea’s dictators Kim Jong-Un or his father. However, this is about to change with President Trump. Presently, there seems to be goodwill between the United States and North Korea which are both engaged in direct talks at extremely high levels. Contacts between the two countries in recent weeks have involved US Intelligence and State Department officials, including the Secretary of State designate Mike Pompeo.
Trump has said that there is a lot at stake for the US, but it is possible that the summit, which was first proposed in March for late May or June would be an unprecedented meeting between the two countries. The Summit is now scheduled to be held on June 12.
It would help ease tensions over Pyongyang’s development of nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States. President Trump’s decision to meet Kim Jong-Un was both shocking and surprising. Just months ago, the two leaders were trading personal insults at each other. But in a big shift, Mr. Trump suggested that President Kim Jong-Un is open and honourable, but cautioned that North Korea had not followed up on previous promises. It is a sharply different assessment of the North Korean dictator President Trump once denounced as “Little Rocket Man”.
President Trump is very optimistic about the meeting and has stated that it would be great for the United States, North Korea and the world. He believed that the tough talks from his administration, his repeated threats to use military force against North Korea and the pressure from several layers of United Nations suffocating sanctions forced Kim Jong-Un to use the Winter Olympics in South Korea to abruptly shift to talks.
The meeting was brokered by the President of South Korea, Moon Jae-In, who in a move aimed at reducing military tensions between the South and North has halted the annual military exercises between South Korea and the United States. In order to create a peaceful mood for the meeting between North and South Korea scheduled for Friday April 27, both countries have stopped blasting music and propaganda at each other across the demilitarized zone, which began more than 50 years ago.
The goal is to end a state of war that has existed between the two countries since 1953.
South Korea’s president has signaled to the US that Kim Jong-Un has embraced denuclearizing without demanding the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula. The move follows North Korea’s recent peace gestures that it will shut down its nuclear test facilities in Punggye-ri and suspend all nuclear tests and long-range missile launches.
However, the shutdown of the nuclear tests may be due to the collapse of the test bunker. The promised cessation by Kim Jong-Un to halt nuclear tests represents another apparent concession as the country maneuvers ahead of the landmark summit with the United States.
Japan, Australia and several European nations, including Britain, France and Germany have hailed the meeting as meaningful progress. Numerous other countries including Sweden, which has strong diplomatic relations with North Korea have welcomed the announcement.
China, which is North Korea’s main ally has praised the move by North Korea as a step on the path to peace and that the denuclearization of the peninsula.
China’s President Xi Jinping has commended President Trump’s willingness to meet with North Korea’s President Kim Jong-Un to solve the problem diplomatically.