 US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meet in the DMZ on June 30, 2019. |
The two leaders agreed to revive the dialogue on denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Trump said he will create a new working group led by special envoy Stephen Biegun to resume negotiations in the next 2 to 3 weeks. He implied that sanctions on Pyongyang will be relieved eventually. The world community welcomed these positive signs and is hoping the meeting will be a turning point in denuclearization negotiations.
Progress over the past year
Trump and Kim met for the first time last June in Singapore. The first meeting ended with encouraging results: a shared hope for eventual denuclearization on the Korean peninsula and a first step toward normalizing bilateral relations.
Eight months later, when Kim mentioned in a New Year’s address that he would like to meet Trump again, the two leaders held a second meeting in Hanoi. Although the meeting did not achieve much progress, the way the two leaders talked about each other with respect and even called each other friend gave the public new hope. At the G20 Summit in Japan, while Trump was dealing with his trade war with China and other G20 events, he suddenly proposed a 3rd meeting with Kim in the demilitarized zone during his visit to South Korea.
Nuclear tests have been suspended and North Korea has started handing over remains of US servicemen killed in the Korean War. Constructive dialogue has replaced threatening words, despite both leaders facing internal pressures.
Former US Presidents were unable to advance relations with North Korea. Trump has nurtured a personal relationship with Kim on theory that the situation needed a new approach.
A long road with many obstacles
Trump setting foot in North Korea and inviting Kim to visit the White House were historic events which give momentum to future negotiations.
It’s a long road ahead with many obstacles. It will be difficult to erase 7 decades of war, sanctions, and confrontation. Trump and Kim have agreed to continue negotiations in a constructive manner with no need to hurry. The two sides have started to prepare for expert-level negotiations in the middle of this month. A US-North Korea summit is being planned for the near future.