ASEAN: Embrace North Korea as dialogue partner

Gatra Priyandita
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PREMIUM

Canberra / Tue, May 8, 2018 / 11:20 am

ASEAN: Embrace North Korea as dialogue partner

Kim Jong-un became the first North Korean leader to set foot in the South, North and South Korea agreed to work toward a peace agreement to formally end the Korean War and both have also agreed to (eventually) rid the peninsula of nuclear weapons. (The Korea Herald/Cheong Wa Dae )

The inter-Korean summit in April was nothing short of significant. Kim Jong-un became the first North Korean leader to set foot in the South, North and South Korea agreed to work toward a peace agreement to formally end the Korean War and both have also agreed to (eventually) rid the peninsula of nuclear weapons.

Indeed, the summit was more symbolic than full of detailed substance. Nonetheless, considering last year’s warlike rhetoric, the inter-Korean summit was definitely a much-welcomed initiative. With the summit successfully completed, we should hope that the same goes for the upcoming summit between Kim and United States President Donald Trump, which is just as, if not more, important.

At the outset, we should refrain from being too euphoric about any mention of North Korean denuclearization. First, nuclear weapons constitute an important i...