N. Korea-U.S. summit successful in setting big framework of actions: experts

  • 6 years ago
한국 전문가들 "북미정상회담, 구체적 이행조치 앞으로 드러날 것... 한국 역할 더 커져"

What are some South Korean experts making of the summit agreement and what should we expect from now on.
A couple of analysts held a forum in Singapore on Wednesday.
Oh Jung-hee has the highlights from that session.

The joint statement by North Korea and the U.S. was pretty short and lacked the details than many had expected,... but we should look at the bigger picture.
That's what some South Korean experts pointed out at a forum on Wednesday at Korea Press Center in Singapore.
They said the summit was successful in setting up the foundations of what's to come... and they expect to see the specifics laid out through working-level discussions.
This is only the beginning of a long denuclearization process -- coming after 70 years of hostility between North Korea and the U.S.

"North Korea developed its nuclear weapons mainly because of its hostile relations with the U.S. The Cold War system surrounding the Korean Peninsula is pretty much because of the two's hostilities. So, with that agreement on Tuesday, North Korea will seek to secure its regime through its relations with the U.S., not nuclear weapons."

To make a change, they added,... the leaders of Pyongyang and Washington have decided to first trust each other, rather than push each other to verify the final result.

"The two leaders have broken the conventional concept of having to verify something in order to gain trust. The conclusion they reached on Tuesday is to "trust first and then test" whether trusting each other is a right choice."

And it seems Kim Jong-un is eager to gain trust.
Ahead of his talks with Trump on Tuesday, Kim said... he came here (quote)"overcoming the wrong prejudices and conventions of the past."

"Kim said there have been good agreements in the past... that weren't carried out properly. He's stressing that he won't make the same mistake. He laid out a self-reflection of the North Korean regime. He wanted to send the message that he's different from his predecessors and has a strong will to implement the agreement."

The experts pointed out that, now that the North Korea-U.S. summit is over, South Korea has an even greater role than before the summit.
It's time for South Korean President Moon Jae-in to take the lead in the three-way structure.

"The summit agreement reaffirms the Panmunjom Declaration. North Korea's denuclearization is a crucial starting point for working towards peace on the Korean Peninsula, but it's definitely not the whole of it. South Korea will have to take a leading role in the peace process on the Korean Peninsula."

Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News, Singapore.

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