4 Big Revelations from the Kim-Moon Summit

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4 Big Revelations from the Kim-Moon Summit

Can Seoul achieve North Korean denuclearization and keep its alliance with Washington too?

by Sungku Jang 

September 20, 2018

The third inter-Korea summit was held in Pyongyang on September 18. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean president Moon Jae-in started it off by hugging in Pyongyang Sunan International Airport. Afterward, Moon was applauded by Pyongyang citizens as he and Kim drove through the capital. Then, the two leaders had a conversation and declared the results of their talks. The main contents of the summit are four things. 

First, Kim Jong-un promised to visit Seoul this year. Second, Kim Jong-un declared that North Korea would destroy the Dongchang-ri missile engine facility under the watch of relevant countries’ nuclear expert inspectors. Furthermore, Kim Jong-un added North Korea would destroy the Yongbyon nuclear facility too when America does follow-up measures. Third, North Korea and South Korea won’t apply any military pressure to each other and have declared demilitarized areas in sky, sea and land. Fourth, North Korea and South Korea will go to the Tokyo Olympics as one team, and both Koreas will try to hold the 2032 Olympics in Pyongyang and Seoul.
 
The new Pyongyang Declaration is a really big deal to South Korea and North Korea. Two sections of the declaration especially matter, one bad and one good.

The bad part is Kim Jong-un declared that the Korean Peninsula denuclearization is not North Korean denuclearization. Kim’s language is intended to include U.S. troops in South Korea since the United States is the other nuclear power. North Korea makes the argument that America should withdraw from South Korea because of the Pyongyang talks and the Singapore Summit between the United States and North Korea. Additionally, if America rejects disarmament or refuses to leave South Korea, North Korea can abolish the Pyongyang agreement and Singapore agreement since the denuclearization clause was written as referring to the entire “Korean Peninsula.” 

Second is the fact that North Korea may not have provided any list of current nuclear facilities and number of bombs. Kim Jong-un said that North Korea would dismantle the Dongchang-ri missile engine test facility. This concession is a big deal to the United States because the facility made North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Kim’s ICBM ability is almost 90 percent to complete. Destroying Dongchang-ri means that Kim will abandon future nuclear ICBM abilities and limit the number of such weapons at his disposal. In other words, North Korea will not threaten America as much without more ICBMs. But giving them up doesn’t mean Kim will abandon North Korea’s nuclear weapons which are already made.

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https://nationalinterest.org/blog/skeptics/4-big-revelations-kim-moon-summit-31592