South Korea States That North Korea Shows Willingness to End Nuclear Tension

On Tuesday, Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, has shown envoys of South Korea potential willingness to “denuclearize” upon negotiations with the United States. Mr. Kim also suggested the possibility of suspending all nuclear missiles, tests and operations during these negotiations.

This announcement has led to great relief and optimism from President Trump and has shifted his strategy from counter threats against North Korea’s aggression to one of patience and negotiations. He tweeted on Tuesday about “possible progress being made in talks with North Korea” and that “the U.S. is ready to go hard in either direction!”

The tension between the United States and North Korea has been building up in the past few months. During the envoys’ visit to Pyongyang, however, the North and the South agreed on holding a summit between Mr. Kim and President Moon Jae-in of South Korea in late April. North Korea, who has been adamant in its exclusion and refusal for compromises, has finally stepped out of its defense. If Mr. Kim confirms the accuracy of this statement, this would be the first time North Korean government has shown willingness to even discuss the possibility of withdrawing nuclear weapons as a compromise with security provided by US government.

Mr. Moon’s security adviser, Chung Eui-yong, who was a part of the envoys sent to North Korea, has expressed hopes that their agreements with the North will help open up conversations between Washington and Pyongyang. He also commented that Mr. Kim was surprisingly flexible and open for negotiations.

North Korea has been a political enemy of United States since the Korean War in 1950s and therefore, despite the optimism brought forth by the statement, there is still many sentiments of suspicion and doubt surrounding its intentions. In fact, American officials have often spotted a pattern of duplicity in North Korea. Even though the statement shows prospectives of denuclearization, it does not indicate whether North Korea would implement these actions any time soon.

Mr. Trump has also remarked that even though the United States would be willing to talk with North Korea, these conversations could only be held “under the right conditions.” Denuclearization will have to be at the center of these much-anticipated conversations between the two powers. American officials have also expressed their determination to make no concessions, especially regarding military exercises or shipments of medial and food aid. In order for the negotiations to work out and be implemented, according to the officials, North Korea would have to make the first move to prove their sincerity and intentions.

Other officials and stakeholders also expressed notes of caution and suspicion. Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera of Japan has been an ally of Trump Administration and advocated for its harsh sanctions and measures against North Korea. He stated that the United States needs to be careful in accessing the sincerity of North Korea and whether the expected dialogues would be productive enough to truly denuclearize North Korea’s military development.

Evans J.R. Revere, the former State Department official, was involved in negotiations with North Korea during his term and showed less enthusiasm towards this statement. He said that denuclearization has been at the basis of previous talks which proved to be futile and unproductive eventually, displaying a rather disillusioned tone and vision between the ease of tension between the two countries.

On the other hand, China embraced the statement as it has been pushing for negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang for months. Chinese expert has suggested that Pyongyang’s offer would be significant and for sure a game changer for the relationship between the US and North Korea.

Mr. Kim’s shift in attitude might be a result of his desire for the United States to weaken the sanctions and to establish more security. We will need to stay tuned for further progress and change in these promises of denuclearization and negotiations.

Featured Image via Flickr/(stephan)