North Korea agrees to shut down missile test sites as leaders hail 'leap forward'
Source: The Guardian
North Korea will shut down key missile test facilities in the presence of “international experts” and is willing to close its only known nuclear complex if the United States makes reciprocal measures, South Korean president Moon Jae-in has announced in a joint press conference with Kim Jong-un.
The two leaders also agreed during a three-day summit in Pyongyang to connect two rail lines, on the east and west side of the peninsula, across one of the most militarised borders in the world. Kim also said he would visit Seoul in the “near future”, a move that would make him the first North Korean leader to visit the South’s capital.
North and South Korea agreed that the Korean Peninsula should turn into a “land of peace without nuclear weapons and nuclear threats”, Moon said. Any transport links would require the approval of the US-led United Nations Command, which oversees the border region.
“There is not only going to be a smooth road ahead, there will be challenges and trials, but the more we overcome them the stronger we will become,” Kim said. “We are not afraid of future challenges.”
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/19/north-korea-shut-missile-test-summit-kim-jong-un-moon
= new reply since forum marked as read
Believe it when we see it!
Ummmm....no.
Oh, the pResident is very excited about the possible deal.
From the Guardian article above:
(Channel A Top Ten News Sep 18)
Right up to the South North Summit, the US raises the pressure. Halley: You must comply with anti North Korean sanctions. Pompeo: All of the international sanctions are necessary until denuclearization is achieved.
The US approach is essentially coercive or negative. Four out of five principal states involved in the region don't agree with the US approach. So it isn't just a question of being outmaneuvered, the playing field has changed.
A new approach is required, the coercive approach isn't going to work. https://www.38north.org/2018/09/wmckinney091718/
JTBC reported that the North Korean newspaper, No Dong Shin Mun, had a statement September 15 saying they won't denuclearize without a prior declaration of the end of the Korean conflict by the US. The typically colorful speech was something to the effect that one didn't one-sidedly lower their shield in front of a sword wielding robber, it produced uncomfortable feelings.
It's been the same negotiating problem all along, the inability of the US to come around to the step by step approach to changing the strategic relationships in the region, or the current style of one sided demands accompanied by vague promises of future rewards. The US approach is an attempt to counter historical trends in the two Koreas and unlikely to be successful unless it changes.
To gain any insight into North Korean issues, 38north.org is a better source than these articles in the British and US mainstream press. A variety of views are presented.
