N. Korea's Kim to visit Seoul, shut missile site

[Swordsmyth]

North Korea's Kim Jong Un agreed to make a historic visit to Seoul soon and close a missile testing site in front of international inspectors at a summit with the South's President Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang Wednesday.Progress on the key issue of the North's nuclear arsenal was limited, but the two signed a document to strengthen ties between the two halves of the divided peninsula.
Building on a growing rapprochement, they agreed to create a facility to hold family reunions at any time, work towards joining up road and rail links, and mount a combined bid for the 2032 Olympics.
The agreement "carries the people's fresh hope and the people's strong, flaming desire for reunification", Kim said.
His trip to Seoul would be the first by a Northern leader since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, when hostilities ceased with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving them technically in a state of war.
Moon added that the visit could happen this year and would be a "monumental milestone in inter-Korean relations".
In their agreement, the North also agreed to "permanently close" a missile engine testing site and launch facility in Tongchang-ri "in the presence of experts from relevant nations".

Trump welcomed Wednesday's declaration, tweeting that Kim had "agreed to allow Nuclear inspections, subject to final negotiations" and adding: "Very exciting!"

Moon also said the North could close its Yongbyon nuclear plant if Washington takes "corresponding measures"

More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/koreas-moon-seeks-nuclear-agreement-kim-summit-021250811.html

[Zippyjuan]

There was a condition to the closure. The US must make some action first. What action was not specified. Expect nothing to happen since the US has said North Korea must disarm their nuclear program before they will make any moves.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45569924


Mr Kim expressed a readiness to shut down the Yongbyon nuclear facility - where North Korea is believed to have produced the material used in its nuclear tests - if the US took some reciprocal action. The details of that were not specified.

[timosman]

Kim also requested an additional condition from Pres. Trump:

Is there a way you could make this dude on RPF, I think his name is Zippy or ZippyJuan, to just shut up? He's been getting on my nerves for a while. Thanks!:cool:

[shakey1]

There was a condition to the closure. The US must make some action first. What action was not specified. Expect nothing to happen since the US has said North Korea must disarm their nuclear program before they will make any moves.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45569924

Trump did call off joint military exercises with SK.

[EBounding]

North Korea isn't firing missiles anymore. I'd consider that progress.

[Zippyjuan]

North Korea isn't firing missiles anymore. I'd consider that progress.

They now know they work. Instead they are focusing on building more of them.

[timosman]

They now know they work. Instead they are focusing on building more of them.

Source? :confused:

[Swordsmyth]

Source? :confused:

Just ask any NeoCon or TDS victim.

[enhanced_deficit]

Seems like quite historic visit and promise.
If a nuclear armed Korea's leader visited DC and played golf with MAGA, that would be even more historic.

In any case, chances of respected dictator winning Nobel Peace Prize have gone up with this historic promise.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/images/misc/poll_posticon.gif Poll: Will North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un win Nobel Peace Prize? (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?522565-Will-North-Korea-s-Supreme-Leader-Kim-Jong-Un-win-Nobel-Peace-Prize&)

[nobody's_hero]

Lifting sanctions would have to be our next move. There aren't a lot of "bargaining chips" left.

1) Stop war games [done]
2) Lift sanctions
3) Remove US troops from South Korea
4) Formal peace treaty? (this one would be essentially symbolic because it doesn't mean much if the other stuff remains)

The sanctions don't work anyway. Kim himself doesn't look like he's starving.

[Swordsmyth]

Lifting sanctions would have to be our next move. There aren't a lot of "bargaining chips" left.

1) Stop war games [done]
2) Lift sanctions
3) Remove US troops from South Korea
4) Formal peace treaty? (this one would be essentially symbolic because it doesn't mean much if the other stuff remains)

The sanctions don't work anyway. Kim himself doesn't look like he's starving.

They could do #4 first even though that would be mostly symbolic as you say, then they could follow that with formal diplomatic relations and an exchange of embassies.

[Swordsmyth]

The United States said it was ready to resume talks with North Korea after Pyongyang pledged on Wednesday to dismantle its key missile facilities and suggested it would close its main Yongbyon nuclear complex if Washington took unspecified actions.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had invited North Korea’s foreign minister to meet in New York next week, with the aim of completing its denuclearization by January 2021, after a Pyongyang summit between the leaders of the two Koreas.

In addition to inviting North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho to meet when both are in New York next week for the annual U.N. General Assembly gathering of world leaders, Pompeo said Washington invited Pyongyang’s representatives to meet the U.S. special representative for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, in Vienna at the “earliest opportunity.”

South Korea’s national security adviser, Chung Eui-yong, said the reciprocal U.S. steps could include an end-of-war declaration. South Korea and the United States remain technically at war with North Korea because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice and not a peace treaty.

Despite the doubts of U.S. officials and outside analysts, North Korea’s pledge at the summit with the South Korean president drew an enthusiastic response from Trump.
Speaking before Pompeo’s comments, Trump‏ welcomed Kim’s pledges, calling them part of “tremendous progress” with Pyongyang on a number of fronts, and hailing “very good news” from the summit between the Koreas.
“He’s calm, I’m calm - so we’ll see what happens,” Trump, who last year threatened to destroy North Korea, told reporters.

More at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-southkorea-summit/u-s-ready-to-resume-north-korea-talks-seeks-denuclearization-by-2021-idUSKCN1LY30R

[Swordsmyth]

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un wants a second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump soon to hasten denuclearization, but a key goal is declaring an end this year to the 1950-53 Korean War, the South’s President Moon Jae-in said on Thursday.

Seoul aims to jointly announce with the United States an end to the war within this year, a measure Moon said he would discuss with Trump when they meet next week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
An end-of-war declaration would not affect the presence of U.S. troops and the UNC in the South, Moon said, adding that Kim shared his view.
“It would be a political declaration that would mark a starting point for peace negotiations,” Moon said.
“A peace treaty would be sealed, as well as normalization of North Korea-U.S. relations, after the North achieves complete denuclearization.”

More at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-southkorea-summit-moon/north-koreas-kim-wants-another-trump-summit-to-speed-denuclearization-south-koreas-moon-idUSKCN1M01KE