Making History: President Trump and Kim Jong-un Sign Peace Accord; Details Released

President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sentosa Island, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

 

He did it!

Trump did what Obama could not.

On Tuesday, President Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un vowed to move toward Korean peninsula denuclearization, assisted by security provisions courtesy of Washington, D.C.

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And no one got blown up. Bonus.

As covered by RedState’s Jennifer Van Laar when news of the document first broke, Kim and Trump signed an accord at the end of the revolutionary summit indicating both countries’ commitment:

“President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to [North Korea] and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

According to Trump, denuclearization is expected to begin “very, very quickly.”

The statement committed both leaders to four main points:

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.

North Korean officials, along with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said follow-up negotiations will commence “at the earliest possible date.”

The statement wasn’t comprehensive by any means. It didn’t address economically crippling international sanctions previously placed on NK due to its nuclear pursuits.

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Also absent was an actual peace treaty: the U.S. and North Korea are still technically at war, as the Korean War of the early 50’s concluded with only a truce between the two nations.

Anthony Ruggiero, of Washington’s Foundation for Defense of Democracies, asserted the fruits of the summit are, so far, largely symbolic:

“It is unclear if further negotiations will lead to the end goal of denuclearization. This looks like a restatement of where we left negotiations more than 10 years ago and not a major step forward.”

At Pangoal, Bejing’s Chinese think tank on public policy, Li Nan seemed to agree:

“It is too early to call it a turning point in North Korea-U.S. relations.”

Still, Trump did what many thought could not be done.

Calling Kim a “very worthy, very hard negotiator” with whom he had formed a “very special bond,” the President was proud of what the two leaders had accomplished:

“People are going to be very impressed and people are going to be very happy and we are going to take care of a very dangerous problem for the world.”

Good job, President Trump. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of a beautiful relationship. The kind where no one explodes.

Find the full joint statement below:

President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a first, historic summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018.

President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un conducted a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new U.S.-DPRK relations and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

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.

Having acknowledged that the U.S-DPRK summit — the first in history — was an epochal event of great significance in overcoming decades of tensions and hostilities between the two countries and for the opening up of a new future, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un commit to implement the stipulations in this joint statement fully and expeditiously. The United States and the DPRK commit to hold follow-on negotiations, led by the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and a relevant high-level DPRK official, at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes of the U.S.-DPRK summit.

President Donald J. Trump of the United States and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea have committed to cooperate for the development of new U.S.-DPRK relations and for the promotion of peace, prosperity, and security of the Korean Peninsula and of the world.

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Follow the trail to this historic moment, courtesy of my RedState coverage: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Find all my RedState articles at my Author page.

And speaking of following things, please do that to Alex Parker on Twitter.

 

 

 

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