North Korean Leader Accepts Nuclear Disarmament; Details of Joint Document Released

Hours after a “joint document” was signed by the leaders of the United States and North Korea, the first details of this document reveal North Korean leader “Kim Jong-un’s” acceptance of nuclear disarmament.

French news agency AFP and Associated Press have confirmed that Mr. Kim has committed to nuclear disarmament.

The U.S. President said while signing the document that nuclear disarmament would begin “very soon.” The U.S. is seeking disarmament and stated that it will not lift heavy sanctions against the country until it is assured of North Korea’s good faith.

French news agency also reported that based on the agreement between the leaders of the two countries, negotiations will continue under the leadership of the U.S. Secretary of State and a senior North Korean official.

Signing of Joint Document

Since the 1953 war, North and South Korea have only signed an armistice agreement along with China and the United States. The document signed by the President today is not technically a treaty due to the absence of China and South Korea, and therefore is considered a comprehensive document that can include issues such as nuclear disarmament, cessation of missile programs, and lifting of sanctions by the United States towards North Korea.

President Trump, after signing this document, said that what was signed encompasses everything and he is pleased with signing this comprehensive document.

The U.S. President, emphasizing that “today’s meeting opens a new page in relations between the two countries,” said that after these meetings, the world will witness major changes.

“Kim Jong-un” thanked Trump after signing the comprehensive document and said this meeting closes the file of the past. A new era will begin and the world will witness major changes.

Historic Meeting

The historic meeting between Donald Trump, President of the United States, and Kim Jong-un, leader of North Korea, took place at 9 a.m. local time on Tuesday at the “Capella” hotel on Sentosa Island in Singapore. This is the first meeting between the leaders of the two countries since the end of the Korean War in 1953.

The leaders of the two countries shook hands at the beginning of this meeting and before starting their negotiations, which took place behind closed doors with only interpreters present, they stood before cameras of various world media outlets for a few brief moments and spoke with journalists.

President Trump, while expressing hope that today’s meeting would be fruitful, predicted that he would establish an “extraordinary relationship” with Kim Jong-un. The North Korean leader also said he hoped they could resolve all misunderstandings that previously existed between the two countries.

After the conclusion of the private meeting between the two leaders, which lasted less than an hour with only two interpreters present, President Trump described the meeting as “very very good” and said the relationship would be excellent.

After the private meeting between President Trump and the North Korean leader, delegations from both countries continued these unprecedented talks. Following this meeting, a working lunch was held.

Before this meeting, President Trump told journalists, emphasizing that North Korea should move towards complete, irreversible, and verifiable nuclear disarmament, that this meeting should result in the formation of “a framework of concrete actions that must be pursued.”

He had previously emphasized that the goal of this meeting is to stop North Korea’s missile and nuclear threats, and Mike Pompeo, his Secretary of State, also said earlier on Monday that our demand is the complete disarmament of North Korea and we are prepared to provide security guarantees in return.

This historic meeting took place at a time when, about a year ago, following an increase in North Korea’s missile and nuclear tests, tensions between Washington and Pyongyang rose so high that global concerns about a military conflict on the Korean peninsula increased significantly.

The verbal war between the North Korean leader and the United States escalated to such a degree that the two sides, in addition to personal attacks, threatened military action; to the point that President Trump warned in August 2017 that if North Korea continued its threats, it would face “fire and fury” from America.

Read more: The ups and downs of U.S.-North Korea relations under President Trump’s administration

Following this American threat, North Korea announced it was finalizing plans to fire four ballistic missiles at Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean. This was met with a sharp reaction from President Trump, who said if Pyongyang acted foolishly, the military option was ready.

Nevertheless, the North Korean leader made a sudden reversal in March and invited the U.S. President for a direct meeting, and President Trump welcomed the invitation. Although the first meeting between the leaders of the two countries was initially canceled, it was ultimately announced that it would take place on the scheduled date.

Since the end of the Korean War and the signing of the armistice agreement in July 1953, the Korean peninsula has remained in a state of “neither war nor peace” and a permanent peace agreement has not yet been achieved. Currently, approximately 28,500 U.S. military troops are stationed in South Korea.

Source: Voice of America