U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed an agreement to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula on Tuesday, but the declaration has been criticized as falling short on new commitments from Pyongyang.
After hours of unprecedented closed-door talks, the two sides pledged to develop a new relationship and to continue high-level negotiations as soon as possible. The agreement also calls for both sides to recover the remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action in the Korean War, and to repatriate these.
However, while Trump described the declaration as “very important” and “pretty comprehensive,” it does not give particulars of timing or checks on whether North Korea is making changes to its nuclear program.
It does not use the words “irreversible” and “verifiable” to describe the denuclearization process, two things the U.S. has long pursued. It appears to echo an agreement signed by North Korea and South Korea in April, according to a Wall Street Journal report[1].
The statement covers these four main points, according to Reuters:
“Convinced that the establishment of new U.S.-DPRK relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and of the world, and recognizing that mutual confidence building can promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un state the following:
1. The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.
2. The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.
3. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
4. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.”
Some have criticized it as lacking a solid commitment by Pyongyang to take action such as a nuclear site closure, while others said it was vague as to details.
Wow. If this is it... this is depressing. This is even thinner than most skeptics anticipated. I figured Trump wd at least get some missiles or a site closure or something concrete: https://t.co/tvhLVnlXpj. This looks pretty generic. Maybe there will be some surprise in presser? https://t.co/BbzZaeCzo0[2][3]
— Robert E Kelly (@Robert_E_Kelly)
In a press conference after the signing, Trump said that in the talks, Kim said that North Korea is destroying a major missile testing site now. The U.S. president also said the process would be verified.
Trump described the upcoming process of working towards denuclearization as “arduous,” but said “this should have been done a long time ago.”
“Anyone can make war, but only the...