The summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un is just the beginning of efforts to achieve peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Further negotiations and more concrete steps are required.
By
BENNY DWI KOESTANTO
·5 minutes read
AFP PHOTO/SAUL LOEB
US President Donald Trump (right) and North Korea\'s leader Kim Jong Un (left) reach out to shake hands at the start of their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. Trump and Kim have become on June 12 the first sitting US and North Korean leaders to meet, shake hands and negotiate to end a decades-old nuclear stand-off.
SINGAPORE, KOMPAS – United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have agreed to talk to achieve peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. The historic summit between Trump and Kim in Singapore on Tuesday (12/6/2018) serves as an important start for this goal. Nevertheless, further negotiations and other steps remain necessary.
In a joint statement, Trump and Kim said it was now proven that they could overturn seven decades of enmity into a sense of closeness and commitment for a relationship that upholds peace. Both parties also agreed to hold further negotiations to denuclearize North Korea.
Further negotiations between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and relevant North Korean high-ranking officers will be held as soon as possible in order to implement the Singapore Summit’s agreements.
Trump becomes the first sitting US president to sit together with a North Korean leader. On several occasions, both world leaders appeared awkward with each other. However, Kim — who had been tense during his first days at the Capella hotel on Singapore’s Sentosa Island — appeared relaxed and smiled much later on in the summit, during which he shook hands with Trump several times.
In the press conference, Trump said he needed only a few seconds to sense Kim’s sincerity. He praised Kim and his father Kim Jong-il several times. He also invited Kim to visit the White House.
The summit went on for five hours. It comprised a one-on-one meeting (with Trump and Kim accompanied by their respective translators), follow-up bilateral meetings between US and North Korean delegates, a luncheon talk and the signing of a joint statement. Afterward, Kim left the Capella hotel and returned to St. Regis Hotel, where he and his entourage stayed.
Trump then gave time for a press conference after a one-and-a-half-hour delay. Trump and Kim left Singapore on Tuesday evening, with Kim and his entourage leaving first. The two leaders said they had talked comprehensively, deeply and sincerely on issues related to establishing a new relationship between their two countries and to achieve strong and everlasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
AFP PHOTO/THE STRAITS TIMES/KEVIN LIM
This handout photo taken on June 12, 2018 and released by The Straits Times shows US President Donald Trump (right) and North Korea\'s leader Kim Jong Un (left) leaving after a signing ceremony during their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore.
Trump said he was committed to providing security guarantees to North Korea and Kim reaffirmed his commitment for complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The phrasing of the denuclearization clause implies support for North Korea’s view that denuclearization must happen on all of the Korean Peninsula, which includes the possibility of the US pulling its troops from South Korea. “Leader Kim told me that North Korea had already destroyed a major missile engine testing site,” Trump said.
He added that he hoped this would serve as a good start toward peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Nevertheless, Trump reassured that the sanctions on North Korea would remain in effect. Trump said the US would not reduce the presence of US soldiers in South Korea but that the country was committed to ending the Korean War.
“Today we had a historic meeting and decided to leave the past behind, and we are about to sign a historic document. The world will see a major change. I would like to express my gratitude to President Trump to make this meeting happen,” Kim said.
The two leaders also reaffirmed the Panmunjom Declaration signed on April 27 this year, in which Kim expressed his commitment toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Optimism around the world
A number of state leaders responded positively to the Singapore Summit and its results. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said he was relieved and that he had been tense and sleepless before the summit.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said he hoped the summit would bring peace both to the region and to the world. “Indonesia welcomes and supports the United States-North Korea Summit in Singapore today. We hope the summit will contribute to bringing peace on the Korean Peninsula, in our region and in the world,” President Jokowi said at the Bogor Palace on Tuesday.
AFP PHOTO/SAUL LOEB
North Korea\'s leader Kim Jong Un (right) walks with US President Donald Trump (left) during a break in talks at their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12, 2018.
After the successful summit, China proposed that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) deliberate the adjournment or revocation of sanctions on North Korea, by taking North Korea’s actions into consideration. “The UNSC must support currently ongoing diplomatic efforts,” China Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.
Different from other countries, Iran has reminded Kim not to trust Trump easily as he could reverse any denuclearization agreement he signed with North Korea, much like what he did with the 2015 Iran deal.
Some say that the summit’s agreements were in fact weaker than previous agreements, as it only includes plans for further talks without any explanations on concrete steps. “The phrasing in the agreement is weak, unclear and worrying,” said Paul Haenle, the former China director at the White House during George W. Bush\'s and Barack Obama’s presidencies.
Trump said there was no guarantee of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. However, he remained certain that it would happen. “No one can guarantee what will happen in the future,” he said.
Kim had previously expressed to Moon his denuclearization pledge to Trump, “establishing a Korean Peninsula that is free of nuclear weapons through complete denuclearization”.
