North Korea’s diplomatic efforts continue to be very positive, and a sign that peace on the Korean Peninsula may be very achievable. On Tuesday, South Korean MP Young Chin and North Korea’s deputy head of Supreme People’s Assembly Ri Jong Hyuk met in Geneva. The two shook hands, and toasted to peace.
The bigger news was in South Korea, however, where the National Intelligence Service (NIS) offered a report to the National Assembly on the peace process, saying they believe “North Korea is strongly committed to dialogue and also committed to denuclearization.”
A top NIS official briefed committee members on the results of recent diplomacy, saying they saw “no changes” on the commitment to both denuclearization and holding an inter-Korean summit. The summit is expected to take place in April with talks later this week scheduled to work out details.
The briefing lasted about 20 minutes, with the NIS conceding that denuclearization is “not guaranteed” to result directly from the April inter-Korean summit or the May Trump-Kim summit. They still remained upbeat on denuclearization remaining a long-term commitment for all sides.
This upbeat assessment from the NIS underscores the massive amount of progress made in the last few months, starting with the Winter Olympics. The North Korean delegation invited South Korea’s President Moon to Pyongyang, which is happening in April. A South Korean delegation dispatched recently to both Pyongyang and Washington D.C. secured a deal for Kim and Trump to meet.
All of this progress has thrilled North Korea, as it seems to be reducing the risk of war. South Korea has every right to be quite pleased as well, since much of it is the result of efforts facilitated by President Moon’s pro-diplomacy position.
#TrumpWinning to all the doubters here?
Yeah, MAGA, ra ra ra. Now he’ll have huge huevos, and think he can push everybody around in Syria. Good luck with that.
Are you legal?
Hopefully the North will be willing to agree to a deal that is even more intrusive than the JCPOA since Trump has promised to blow that up come May. Not to mention they should expect a continued call for regime change after any deal is reached.
That’s why China must be involved in this, too. The North Koreans are willing to give up their nukes but they need an “insurance policy” from the Chinese that will keep the USA from backing out of the deal, as they most certainly will if history is any indication.
Ageed. But I’m still curious as to what kind of deal Trump must have in mind if he thinks the JCPOA was such a bad deal. Also, it will be interesting if there is an eventual deal and it’s less intrusive than the JCPOA.
If China and Russia back this peace deal . The Rocket man could have not only enough fire power to take out one or two cities but enough fire power to take out all U.S. cities . But this is what we are trying to avoid . I can’t see how any peace deal could be forsaken
Why always the reference to the geographical features of Korea (the PENINSULA)? Do we always refer to England as the British ISLES? Or Taiwan as the Taiwanese ISLAND? Or Italy as the Italian PENINSULA?
The N Korean president Kim is going to be very popular even in South Korea . Trump and Rocket man may go on trip together to celebrate the impossible peace deal . I can’t see how this peace deal can fail , I believe it is the long delayed wishes of almost all of the Korean people . Bolton and mad dogs alternative deal is so terrible and insane that every sane human being will be more than happy to accept any and every peace deal .
Count on Washington to kill this rapprochement between North and South Korea.
There is just too much money to be made in keeping the tensions alive, and the ongoing US presence on the Korean peninsula. The military security complex is not going to give up one of the major reasons for existing.
Peace is not profitable.
For North Korea “denuclearization” means the removal of the armed forces of a nuclear power from the Korean Peninsula.
Talk is cheap.