N.K. Kim specifies denuke action plan, may visit Seoul within the year
2018.09.19 13:21:03 2018.09.19 15:25:38
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the first time publicly specified his denuclearization action plan on Wednesday, offering to permanently dismantle nuclear and missile test sites under international oversight and do the same with the nuclear material production site depending on responsive action from the United States.
In a joint press conference televised live from Pyongyang after two rounds of summit talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Kim vowed to “work aggressively” to make the Korean Peninsula a land of peace “free of nuclear weapons and threats.”
The two signed a landmark “Peace Declaration” to place bilateral ties on a “new and higher level” through practical and specific actions to remove all military threats and dangers to establish permanent peace in the Korean land.
Kim agreed to visit Seoul “in the near future,” and Moon added that could take place within the year “unless something comes up.” He would become the first from the Kim dynasty that ruled North Korea over three generations to visit the South. His father Kim Jong-il had invited South Korean President Kim Dae-jung to Pyongyang for the first-ever inter-Korean summit in 2000 and later President Roh Moo-hyun for a second summit in 2007.
Moon, who was the third South Korean chief executive to set foot in Pyongyang and meeting Kim for the third time this year, highlighted that the two Koreas for the first time discussed denuclearization, an issue Pyongyang preferred to keep between Washington.
“It won’t be long before denuclearization becomes a reality,” Moon said.
The two leaders’ upbeat tone did not impress the Korean markets. At 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, the main Kospi was at 2,303.05, down 0.5 percent, and the won unchanged at 1,123.40 against the U.S. dollar.
North Korea will invite international experts to watch its blowup of the missile engine test site and launch pad in Dongchan-ri, which would permanently remove the danger of long-range missiles. It will also “permanently destroy” the nuclear enrichment facility in Yongbyon if the U.S. acts out the “spirit” of the joint declaration signed between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump in the first-ever summit talks between the two countries in June in Singapore vowing to improve bilateral ties.
Pyongyang has demanded “synchronized” easing in international sanctions and backing in economic ventures in North Korea in return for its “phased” dismantlement of nuclear and missile weapons.
Denuclearization talks have stalled since June amid differences over the scope, terms, and order in the process. Multiple sanctions for its nuclear and missile provocations devastated North Korean trade and source of income.
The latest offer of permanent dismantlement of long-range missile and nuclear producing sites could revive negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington as Trump recently said he could comply with Kim’s invitation for a second meeting.
In a tweet just an hour after the press conference, Trump shared excitement over the news from Pyongyang. “Very exciting! 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,” he wrote.
Moon and Kim also agreed to start construction within the year to connect the two Koreas by rail and road and normalize the suspended joint industrial park in Kaesong as well as tourism programs. The two governments will work towards creating a joint economic zone across the west coast of the peninsula and a tourism belt along the east coast.
The two will field joint teams to compete in international competitions including the 2020 Summer Olympics and pitch to co-host the 2032 Summer Olympics.
They will install a permanent visit place for separated families near Mt. Kumgang in North Korea and immediately embark on cooperation in common environment and health issues. Moon’s three-day schedule in North Korea ends on Thursday.
In a joint press conference televised live from Pyongyang after two rounds of summit talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Kim vowed to “work aggressively” to make the Korean Peninsula a land of peace “free of nuclear weapons and threats.”
The two signed a landmark “Peace Declaration” to place bilateral ties on a “new and higher level” through practical and specific actions to remove all military threats and dangers to establish permanent peace in the Korean land.
Kim agreed to visit Seoul “in the near future,” and Moon added that could take place within the year “unless something comes up.” He would become the first from the Kim dynasty that ruled North Korea over three generations to visit the South. His father Kim Jong-il had invited South Korean President Kim Dae-jung to Pyongyang for the first-ever inter-Korean summit in 2000 and later President Roh Moo-hyun for a second summit in 2007.
Moon, who was the third South Korean chief executive to set foot in Pyongyang and meeting Kim for the third time this year, highlighted that the two Koreas for the first time discussed denuclearization, an issue Pyongyang preferred to keep between Washington.
“It won’t be long before denuclearization becomes a reality,” Moon said.
The two leaders’ upbeat tone did not impress the Korean markets. At 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, the main Kospi was at 2,303.05, down 0.5 percent, and the won unchanged at 1,123.40 against the U.S. dollar.
North Korea will invite international experts to watch its blowup of the missile engine test site and launch pad in Dongchan-ri, which would permanently remove the danger of long-range missiles. It will also “permanently destroy” the nuclear enrichment facility in Yongbyon if the U.S. acts out the “spirit” of the joint declaration signed between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump in the first-ever summit talks between the two countries in June in Singapore vowing to improve bilateral ties.
Pyongyang has demanded “synchronized” easing in international sanctions and backing in economic ventures in North Korea in return for its “phased” dismantlement of nuclear and missile weapons.
Denuclearization talks have stalled since June amid differences over the scope, terms, and order in the process. Multiple sanctions for its nuclear and missile provocations devastated North Korean trade and source of income.
The latest offer of permanent dismantlement of long-range missile and nuclear producing sites could revive negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington as Trump recently said he could comply with Kim’s invitation for a second meeting.
In a tweet just an hour after the press conference, Trump shared excitement over the news from Pyongyang. “Very exciting! 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,” he wrote.
Moon and Kim also agreed to start construction within the year to connect the two Koreas by rail and road and normalize the suspended joint industrial park in Kaesong as well as tourism programs. The two governments will work towards creating a joint economic zone across the west coast of the peninsula and a tourism belt along the east coast.
The two will field joint teams to compete in international competitions including the 2020 Summer Olympics and pitch to co-host the 2032 Summer Olympics.
They will install a permanent visit place for separated families near Mt. Kumgang in North Korea and immediately embark on cooperation in common environment and health issues. Moon’s three-day schedule in North Korea ends on Thursday.
By Hye-seung Seo
[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]
