Peace in the Korean peninsula. That’s been the goal of U.S. presidents since Harry Truman. And while it’s a longshot objective, President Trump is inching closer to a deal than any president before him.
Earlier this week, we reported that the official war between North Korea and South Korea may be coming to an end. This ending of hostilities would be announced just before President Trump is set to meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.
That would be quite an accomplishment within itself. But now it’s just been announced that North Korea is open to denuclearization without stringent conditions put upon the U.S. first.
From Reuters:
North Korea has expressed its desire for “complete denuclearization” of the Korean peninsula and is not seeking conditions such as U.S. troops withdrawing from the South first, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Thursday.
Moon said big-picture agreements about normalization of relations between the two Koreas and the United States should not be difficult to reach through planned summits between North and South, and between the North and the United States, in a bid to rein in the North’s nuclear and missile programs.
“North Korea is expressing a will for a complete denuclearization,” Moon told reporters.
South Korea’s Moon says North seeking ‘complete denuclearization’ https://t.co/d3gN96ZJTh pic.twitter.com/MGT0z70SgK
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) April 19, 2018
This is a huge step forward. And it comes just on the heels of it being revealed that CIA Director and Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo paid a visit to Kim Jong-un recently. Presumably, that visit may have paved the way for these concessions.
This is a hopeful sign, but President Trump and President Moon Jae-in should be wary. Kim Jong-un is a wily dictator. His word shouldn’t be taken at face value. The process of diplomacy should be conducted with caution.
President Trump’s tough rhetoric has definitely gotten Jong-un’s attention, though. If it wasn’t for Trump’s non-stop goading and bluster, a maniac like Jong-un would have never come to the table. Presidents have tried for decades to make this kind of progress on ending the hostilities in Korea. Now, perhaps, Trump may get it done.
What do you think about Trump’s Korea strategy? Tell us your thoughts below!
