Leaders agree to end Korean War: We have become friends

After a day-long summit, leaders of the two Koreas hugged one another, opening “a new era of peace”. They pledged that there would be no further conflict on the peninsula and vowed to upgrade relations in multiple spheres.

...

The three-page declaration was divided into two parts. The first half discussed inter-Korean cooperation, while the second was about resolution of military tensions including an end to the Korean War. The big-ticket issue – denuclearization – came at the end.

Inter-Korean cooperation

The declaration will facilitate “groundbreaking advancements in inter-Korean relations,” allowing Koreans to determine “the destiny of the Korean nation on their own accord” – an apparent reference to foreign interference that has, notably in the 20th century, often proved tragic for a peninsula which suffered colonization, division and war. The statement refers to “dialogs and negotiations in various fields,” and “active cooperation, exchanges, visits and contacts at all levels.”

Promisingly, the two states – which lack any diplomatic ties or any communication apparatus, beyond telephone hotlines – agreed to establish a “liaison office” in Kaesong to “facilitate close consultation.”

...

Reducing military tensions

As per the declaration, the two Koreas “agree to completely cease all hostile acts against each other… including land, sea and air” and to cease all propaganda broadcasts and leaflet drops along the DMZ. They agreed “to prevent accidental military clashes and guarantee safe fishing activities,” in the flashpoint Yellow Sea – scene of multiple fatal naval clashes over the last two decades. It is home to rich fishing grounds and a vague demarcation line.

The declaration also says it will bring “an end to the current unnatural state of armistice” and invoke meetings with outside forces, including the United States and China. The two latter nations were both belligerents and signatories to the 1953 armistice that halted fighting in the Korean War. A peace treaty to end the state of war had previously been revealed as a summit goal.

General-level military talks will be convened in May.

Finally, the declaration confirmed the “common goal” of “realizing, through complete denuclearization, a nuclear-free Korean peninsula,” and agreed to seek the “support and cooperation of the international community” to this end.

http://www.atimes.com/article/leaders-agree-to-end-korean-war-we-have-become-friends/