Much has been said about the summit between United States President Donald Trump and North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un in the weeks after it took place in mid-June. Considering last year’s warlike rhetoric, the summit has created a semblance of peace in the region. 

The four-hour summit resulted in a four-point joint statement, whose critics argue was far too bland, but whose advocates say was better than war. 

However, as veteran journalist Pepe Escobar pointed out in The Asia Times, the crucial detail in the joint statement was America’s reaffirmation of the Panmunjom Declaration, which pledges both the US and North Korea to commit to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. This does not simply mean North Korea’s commitment to denuclearization, but also the US’s to scaling down its military presence o...

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.