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Trump Unites North and South Korea--Media Seethes
Kim Jung Un of North Korea (L) hugs Moon Jae In of South Korea. (Screen capture)
by Joseph Earnest April 27, 2018
Newscast Media SEOUL, South Korea—Agreeing to end the war and denuclearize the Korean Peninsula on Friday, leaders of North and South Korea got together for a historic meeting and signed a declaration vowing to “cease all hostile acts.”
On Friday morning, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with the South Korean President Moon Jae In and the leaders exchanged handshakes as shutterbugs tried to capture the leaders meeting for the first time.
This is a major victory for the Trump presidency, which has played a major role in fostering peace initiatives with North Korea, as opposed to previous administrations that always viewed North Korea as an adversary.
The media, that has been under instruction to discredit Trump for any success, is now seething and will seethe even more when Trump meets Kim Jung Un in person, at a peace summit, in the weeks ahead. Some top level military practitioners have insinuated that Trump already met Kim Jung Un during his Asian tour at a secret undisclosed location, to build rapport with the North Korean leader.
The White House released a statement saying, in part, "...The fact that North Korea has come to the table without the United States making any concessions speaks to the strength of President Trump’s leadership and is a clear sign that the intense pressure of sanctions is working. The Korean peace agreement is a step toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but it is just one step..."
Both North and South Korean leaders crossed each other’s borders to get together for the historic meeting that marked a turning point in one of the world’s most dangerous flashpoint. After their summit, the two leaders signed a declaration, stating there would be “no more war on the Korean Peninsula" and heralding "a new era of peace."
The leaders also agreed to "cease all hostile acts against each other" and to "transform the demilitarized zone into a peace zone.”
Overall, the countries have agreed on the common goal of "complete denuclearization" on the Korean Peninsula.
All of Asia and the world were watching the highly anticipated summit closely as it was not just the first time in years that leaders of the two countries, that are technically still in a state of war met, but the summit also laid the foundation for a meeting between the North Korean leader and U.S. President Donald Trump.
The two leaders of North and South Korea after making peace. (Screen capture)
As they sat down for talks at the border truce village of Panmunjom on the South Korean side of the demilitarized zone, Kim Jong Un reportedly told his South Korean counterpart, “We have a chance to heal the wounds.”
Jong Un then wrote a promise in a ceremonial book, which read, "A new history begins now." After the initial round of talks, the leaders broke off for lunch and met again to plant a commemorative pine tree and strolled together through the village without aides.
Kim Jong Un was accompanied by his sister, Kim Yo Jong, who led North Korea’s delegation to the Winter Olympics in South Korea earlier this year and sat beside him during the first round of talks on Friday.
Further, North Korea's nominal head of state, Kim Yong Nam, also attended the summit.The delegation featured top military officials and diplomats - in what was the first at an inter-Korean summit.
Meanwhile, South Korea sent seven officials, including the ministers for defence, foreign affairs and unification.
According to a briefing to reporters by Moon’s spokesman, Yoon Young Chan, the North Korean leader also made an unconventional attempt to break the ice with a comment about his recent missile tests.
He reportedly told Moon with a smile, “I was told that you used to be unable to get a good night’s sleep, being awakened … to attend the National Security Council meetings because of us.”
He then added, “I’ll make sure that you can sleep soundly.” On a more serious note, Kim Jong Un said that he looks forward to "making the most of this opportunity so that we have the chance to heal the wounds between the North and the South. Let’s meet more often from now on."
Adding, “Let’s meet people’s expectations to make a better world. I promise we will do well in the future.”
Kim added, “I came here to put an end to the history of confrontation as well as to work shoulder to shoulder with you to tackle the obstacles between us. Icame to with the confidence that a brighter future awaits us.”
Moon, in response, confirmed that he would visit Pyongyang in the fall. The meeting was the first between North and South Korean leaders in a decade.
Previously, meetings between leaders of the two Koreas have occurred in the year 2000 and 2007. However, in each of those instances the South Korean president traveled to Pyongyang.
The summit came at a time when American policymakers feared that North Korea’s nuclear weapons program had reached a critical stage. Expectations were quite high that Friday's talks will lay the foundation for reduced tensions between North Korea and the United States after a year of heated rhetoric between leaders of the two nations.
Now, all eyes are trained on the proposed meeting between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump - which would be the first such meeting between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader.
However, so far, neither of the sides have clarified when it would take place. American officials have said that the meeting could be from late May to mid-June.
Further, some officials have cited Singapore, Switzerland, Sweden and Mongolia as possible venues. Commenting on the cordial meeting, China applauded the leaders for taking a "historic step" toward peace.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing that China hopes for "new journey of long-term peace and stability on the peninsula."
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement that the U.S. "looks forward to continuing robust discussions in preparation for the planned meeting between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in the coming weeks."
Last week, Trump confirmed reports that revealed that Trump's recently appointed Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo recently held one-on-one talks with the reclusive strongman. . Add Comments >>
Source: North Korea Times
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