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Current United States president, Donald Trump, and North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, are meeting this week to discuss denuclearization of North Korea as well as the U.S placed sanctions on North Korea. On Thursday, the day started in hopes of a denuclearization deal alongside an official declaration of the end of the Korean War. However, earlier than expected, the day of meetings and talks ended with no deal being made. Specifically, what was discussed in the dealings was the exchange of the removal of all US imposed sanctions for the deconstruction of Yongbyon, the heart of North Korea's nuclear programme. This is, however, not all of their facilities in the programme and so the U.S was not ready to give up so much for only partial denuclearization. In response to the failure of the meetings, President Trump stated at a later news conference, “Sometimes you have to walk.”
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| Yongbyon complex March 30, 2018 |
Even as no official agreement was made, leader Kim Jong Un still gave notions of willingness in denuclearization. In response to a journalist asking about denuclearization, Kim Jong Un stated, “If I’m not willing to do that, I won’t be here right now.” Mr. Trump stated after claiming, “That might be the best answer you’ve ever heard” and that “The relationship is as good as it’s ever been, I think better.” In light of no clear cut deal being made, progress has appeared to occur with Kim Jong Un offering to have a U.S communication office within North Korea and Mr. Trump agreeing “...it’s a good idea, both ways,”
President @realDonaldTrump and @StateDept @SecPompeo sits with Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for a second day of talks in Hanoi, Vietnam. #HanoiSummit pic.twitter.com/TJiNmdAHFm— Department of State (@StateDept) February 28, 2019
The overarching result with the summit has met with semi conflicting opinions from Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, and South Korean president, Moon Jae-in. Japan’s prime minister stated that “I fully support Mr. Trump’s decision.” However, president Moon Jae-in found “It...regrettable that they could not reach a complete agreement” but however thinks “The prospects for a next meeting are bright given President Trump’s will to continue dialogue and his optimistic views.”
Reactions: While disappointing, relations and progression towards denuclearization appears to be in a better stance than before. With the consenting ideas of establishing a communications base of operations within North Korea, hopefully, more negotiations can easily be made now, therefore, causing more progress to occur. While no solid deal emerged out of the summit, I am glad at least some sort legitimate concrete steps were discussed, however, it’s only in the future to see if they are committed to it. If I was a resident in a nearby country in relation to North Korea, personally I would still feel quite threatened as nothing concrete actually happened, but still have just a bit of peace of mind for the future.
Connection: Overall, the entire premise of this screams The Cold War to me. From the talks of denuclearization, the entire premise of The Cold War, as well as the briefly mentioned potential discussion to the end of the Korean war all links back to it. In fact, simply the existence of a North and South Korea is caused by The Cold War due to the division along the 38th Parallel. Another similarity is if the mentioned communications facility is constructed, that could seem to be a parallel but weaker to the Moscow-Washington hotline established after the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Questions:
Do you think a communications facility will actually be built in North Korea? If so, what effects do you predict it’ll have?
Do you agree more with Japan’s prime minister or Korea’s president or neither on the outcome of the summit?
How do you think countries close to North Korea in general feel about the outcome of this summit?
To me, although it is slightly disappointing that the talks President Trump had with Kim Jong Un ended up having no deal regarding denuclearization of North Korea, it still was worthwhile as it improved relations between the US and North Korea. What stuck out to me most of all was that Kim Jong Un stated that if he wasn’t willing to denuclearize, then he wouldn’t be at the talks at all. This implied that North Korea is indeed willing to negotiate with the US and hence mitigate the tense relationship between the two countries. Furthermore, the fact that Kim Jong Un offered to set up a US communications office in North Korea goes to show how i is taking initiative to improve their relations with the US. In conclusion, overall, the talks were positive because it is a step forward to good relations with North Korea, and probably even a concrete agreement with them as well.
ReplyDeleteKim Jong Un stated that the United States would be welcome to open a liaison office in North Korea, a huge step considering that the US and North Korea do not have formal diplomatic relations. That said, North Korea has already concluded that nuclear weapons are essential for their security and their position as a country, which means that the goal for denuclearization will more than likely not occur. With this, I agree more with the South Korea's president, as it is upsetting that the meeting led to a failure in producing an agreement. Though the talks were positive, I am rather pessimistic of what goals the two countries can reach for denuclearization of North Korea and removing U.S placed sanctions on North Korea.
ReplyDeleteLink: https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/02/politics/trump-kim-summit-dream-ripley-intl/index.html
While I believe that the outcomes of this summit are moving North Korea is the right direction, is terms of reducing their international threat, I also sympathize with South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s opinion that it is disappointing that the summit did not bring a more promising and drastic change for the better. While the removal of one nuclear programme is promising it does not reduce the fear of a nuclear attack from nations without an ocean between themselves and North Korea, like South Korea. North and South Korea have a very rocky relationship. Until recently, the leaders of each nation hadn’t met in over a decade. South Korea faces the largest threat from North Korea, as they share a border with the nation as well as still struggle with tensions rooted from the Korean War. With the nations just recently beginning to peacefully engage with each other, it is hard for either nation to make any compromise with years of prejudice and fear backing them up. Therefore, South Korea must rely on their allies to speak for them. Jae-in’s unsatisfied reaction matches South Korea’s situation, as they face the biggest threat from North Korea and seem to have the least say in negotiating with them. I think that South Korea, and all other nations neighboring North Korea, might not feel too confident with the results of the summit, as even though there was forward movement the threat of North Korea still remains strong and near.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.britannica.com/place/North-Korea/Relations-with-the-South
DeleteSource^^
I agree more with Japan’s Prime Minister regarding the outcome of the summit, because the even though lack of an agreement means that it is not confirmed that Korea will denuclearize any of their facilities, America has promised to protect South Korea. North Korea currently has no harsh tensions with any countries besides South Korea, so if I were a resident of North Korea’s Neighboring countries, North Korea wouldn’t make me worry. According to cnn.com, (https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/03/asia/south-korea-north-korea-us-war-games-intl/index.html) North Korea hasn’t conducted a single missile or nuclear test since 2017, and the U.S. declared that she will defend the Republic of Korea (South Korea) if North Korea doesn’t keep their word about the pause. The two Koreas even agreed to try to pursue peace by working towards a peace treaty to officially end the Korean War. Moreover, the U.S. and North Korea both expect to communicate more upon these matters, demonstrating that an agreement will most likely sooner or later form between the two countries. In conclusion, I agree more with the Japanese Prime Minister because I believe that even though both sides didn’t have an agreement or take concrete action, plans and considerations were made. This a still considered a large step towards peace by many credible news sources.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was a little disapointing that an official deal wasn't made at the meeting, but progress was made- this is the most willing Kim Jong-un has sounded to denuclearize. For now, I think that it is best to not push it any further, or Kim Jong-un may change his mind. Change is slow- The North Korea South Korea issue has been going on since 1945.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the South Korean President Moon Jae-in that it was unfortunate no decision was made but progress is expected. For many years, communication between North Korea and the outside world has been limited, so a public meeting regarding nuclear weapons is a definitely a huge step. I believe Kim Jong-Un is serious about denuclearization as he stated he wouldn't have came to the meeting otherwise. The countries close to North Korea would certainly be glad that a deal is attempted to be made, but a bit disappointed by the outcome of the summit. I would think countries would hope that the meeting goes well and a deal is struck.
ReplyDeleteBased upon prior actions (or lack of) I don't think that North Korea will set up a communication facility, but that doesn't mean that nothing good will come out of it. I believe that agreeing to set up a communication facility is more symbolic of how North Korea is slowly being more willing to communicate with the rest of the world especially a country like America. I would say that I agree with the South Korean president that the failure to reach an agreement was at best, disappointing. Being so close to North Korea and still having the effects of the Korean War lingering in their modern-day society, it seems reasonable that the President Moon Jae-in would feel worried about the lack of resolve from the meeting. It is easy to understand why the Korean President will feel this way because they feel like they are the #1 target if North Korea would do anything on a international scale so they would wants to feel some relief from a discussion between one of their biggest threats and a international superpower.
ReplyDeleteWhile based on the past, it does look as if no concrete communication facility would be established, on the positive side, there's always a first for everything. With their slow willingness to communicate as you've said, setting up a building for the sole purpose of communication with one of the world's most, involved diplomats, is a surefire way to set about that progression. I do, however, agree with you alongside South Korea's president view on the summit overall being disappointing as, if put in their shoes, such an outcome from such a long lasting conflict would be the last thing wanted.
DeleteAlthough the peace talks between the US and North Korea have not yet resulted in any clear solution or plan as to the denuclearization of North Korea, it is hopeful that some changes will be made in the future. Kim Jong Un's willingness to negotiate and communicate with President Trump is very important and an essential part the deals. While the summit left many optimistic of the future, I do understand why Moon Jae-in and South Korea may be hesitant. The relationship between the north and south have never been good, so it is completely normal for them to have doubts about North Korean and American intentions. In regards to how neighboring countries feel about the outcomes of the summit, I feel that the views are very mixed. I am sure many feel safer knowing that North Korea is on the road to denuclearization and they will no longer feel threatened by the superpower. Others may feel even more terrified, as they question the motives behind Kim Jong Un or President Trump.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the addition of a US Communication Facility in North Korea will definitely help to improve US-North Korea relations. Easy access to communications between the two countries will make deal-making faster and more efficient, and it will reduce tensions between the two countries. This is because if anything comes up that either side is worried about, it will take a much shorter amount of time for a discussion to occur in order to reduce these tensions. Whether or not this will actually happen is still pretty unknown, although as seeing North Korea has little to lose (or possibly even a little to gain considering the control of the operation of the facility could be use as a bargaining token), I believe North Korea is definitely for it. However, the US is taking a risk putting its own citizens into dangerous borders. The use of this facility could help show that both countries have a greater trust of each other than beforehand. I support Japan's Prime Minister's opinion on the summit, as when dealing with high tensions such as these, it is important both sides get as close to what they want as possible. If not, the two countries may end up fighting each other for what they want, which is exactly the opposite of what the summits are for. I believe countries close to North Korea are skeptical of the eventual outcome of the summits, however this skepticism is definitely reduced after the offer North Korea made to create a US Communications Facility within their own borders.
ReplyDeleteEven though North Korea is not in any way a country I would put very much trust in, I still do believe that they will build this communication facility and will believe it until they come out and say they won't. Though there are not any events for me to base this belief off, I believe this because of the way they have responded to this summit and situation. They are surprisingly cooperative in terms of the negotiations and are willing to listen to all of the terms of the deals which makes me feel that they do believe that this deal is worth it. I also agree more with the South Korean president because the result of the summit was not in any way completely negative or bad. The way that the summit went I feel that another meeting could definitely be on the horizon and that tension between North Korea and the US could definitely continue to decline. I think countries close to North Korea should feel relatively good about what is going on. The fact that North Korea could possibly shut down a bunch of their nuclear plans should be positive information for all countries.
ReplyDeleteI do think that a communications center will be built in North Korea because it has so many benefits. A communications center will enable North Koreans to communicate within the country easier and will also enable North Korea to potentially communicate with other countries easily. I agree with the Japanese’s minister’s outcome of the summit because he was encouraging of denuclearizing North Korea. I also think that South Korea’s president’s opinion was like this is because Trump, their ally, was making a deal with Kim Jong Un, their enemy. This may or may not strain tensions between the US and South Korea. I think that countries close to North Korea will feel safer because denuclearization will reduce the threat of nuclear conflict which is much more dangerous than a regular conflict.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the US should continue to try and enter peace and denuclearization treaties with North Korea; however, we must be careful about any agreements we make with North Korea sanctions. Removing sanctions on North Korea will end up boosting North Korea's economy greatly, and we should make sure that if we remove them it will be on stable and sustainable terms. I believe these terms not currently possible to obtain due to the conflicting ideas of the US and North Korea. I respect presidents Trump's attempts to create better relations with North Korea, and while i'm unsure weather the US can ever be on good terms with NK with their current leader, I think our presidents meetings will increase our chances of denuclearizing North Korea. Looking at what could happen when nuclear bombs are available to countries(i.e. Hiroshima and Nagasaki) or when countries have high nuclear tencion(i.e. the cold war).
ReplyDeleteSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in is striving for progress which is expected to happen, but unfortunately no decision has been made. Over the years, North Korea’s communication and different relationships with the outside world and neighboring nations has been limited, so a open meeting on nuclear weapons is undoubtedly a huge improvement and strive toward the end goal. I believe that Kim Jong-un is serious about denuclearization because he said he will not attend the meeting. Countries with close ties to North Korea will certainly be willing to try to reach an agreement, but are somewhat disappointed with the outcome of the summit. I believe and agree with the countries hope that the meeting will go smoothly and reach an agreement.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Japan's outcome of the summit because the US promised to protect South Korea. Although South Korea and Shinzo Abe, prime minister of Japan have different opinions, I think that more plans and compromises can be made in the future. I also think him supporting Trump is a good idea and both sides can make a compromise for the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what everyone said, but I would like to clarify that North Korea is the side that didn’t keep their promise. America and North Korea’s negotiation was based on NK’s complete denuclearization. Even though, NK shut down one main center, America’s satellite detected another nuclear center located inside the country. This went against the agreement of complete denuclearization, which angered America. I agree with Trump and Japan’s prime minister’s opinions. Removing the NK sanctions will lead to their increase in freedom. However, if they do not entirely denuclearize, the country might pose a threat to the world. If both sides were to keep their promises and the treaty is signed, the relationship will definitely be better. Unfortunately, the “betrayal” of North Korea only harmed the trust and relationship overall. In my opinion, I wish the summit would work perfectly, but the current outcome guarantees more peace and fairness and less danger in the world. On a wider scale, countries that are on friendly terms with NK might be disappointed, and some might trust NK less. Overall, “friendly” communication is finally occuring between the US and North Korea, which is a good sign for the world.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is good that relations between the United States and North Korea are improving. However, I agree with South Korean president, Moon Jae's opinion that it is disappointing that Trump and Kim Jong Un couldn't reach an agreement about the denuclearization. We are obviously making progress though because if both nations were willing to meet that means that they must be willing to talk. According to CNBC, the US is planning on increasing sanctions against North Korea is the denuclearization doesn't happen. Even if the relations with North Korea are getting better, these sanctions could reverse the progress and create more tension. The sooner the United States and North Korea reach an agreement the better!
ReplyDeleteSource:
Deletehttps://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/06/boltonus-may-ramp-up-north-korea-sanctions-if-it-doesnt-denuclearize.html
I feel that North Korea will agree to have a communications facility built since North Korea seems more willing to communicate and talk as seen through this summit. Although this summit did not exactly work out, it seems to be progress. I agree with the South Korean president that not being able to come to a formal agreement is disappointing since being able to have better relations with North Korea would significantly help ease tensions and help to build relationships with not just North Korea, but with their “allies” such as China and Egypt as well. On the other hand, it would not be a smart move to remove all sanctions from North Korea since we are still at a stage in which we cannot fully trust them and letting North Korea be able to have access to a lot of resources that would help them grow technologically and economically while still having possession of nuclear weapons will most likely be dangerous.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, I feel that the countries want the tensions between the US and North Korea to lessen since it would also help them economically as well and also help them to build better relations with US, South Korea, and Japan. For example, Egypt is known for aiding North Korea with foreign currency and resources but the country also receives a lot of military support from the United States. Having tensions lessen between the two countries could possibly help Egypt earn even more support from the United States. Additionally, in the article cited, China’s foreign minister said that China wants the dialogue between the US and North Korea to continue.
Sources:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/04/un-report-new-light-egypts-role-north-korean-weapons-sales/
https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/25/politics/us-military-aid-egypt/index.html
I think that there is a possible chance at having a communications facility depending on how well the talks go and if relations improve even more. I think that the facility could allow the US to have an even better relationship and possibly prevent another Cold War from happening. I believe both responses are reasonable as talks are not always going to result in both sides getting the terms they want; but at the same time based on the situation, South Korea's president's response is reasonable as South Korea is one of the countries most concerned about North Korea's nuclear weapons. I think countries close to North Korea might be happy as North Korea would still keep their deterrent in the form of their nuclear weapons as talks ended without any denuclearization.
ReplyDeleteI agree more with South Korea's prime minister, more on the instance that it was a disappointing choice to walk from the meetings. Giving in so soon during such important discussions is unwise. As we learned about in our cold war unit, the longer two sides go without negotiations, the closer to destructive conflict they will become. The severity of the destruction that may occur is potentially catastrophic, so dealing with the issue at hand as soon as possible is crucial.
ReplyDeleteIn this case I agree more with South Korea's prime minister. Though it is understandable that when negotiating you must take many different roads to reaching agreements, this is a pressing matter that should soon be solved. The Korean War has been going on since 1950 and an official declaration that it is over would put many to ease. Especially those in South Korea. As a connection to the next question, I believe those around North Korea, especially South Korea, would feel uneasy. It is good that they managed to agree and talk about certain things, the fact that total denuclearization hasn't happened yet has got to keep them on edge. It is good that these talks are happening and we are getting closer and closer to peace, but there will be people holding their breath till it is secured.
ReplyDeleteIt may be disappointing that both President Trump and Kim Jong Un didn’t come to a final settlement on denuclearization, but I see this as progress in relations with each other. I see this more as a step forward in being comfortable with one another and making future negotiations easier. I’m not fully convinced that Korea will keep their word by building the facility due to their untrust worthy history. However, it’s not fair to judge their efforts based on that opinion. Overall, I feel that we should view this situation as something positive until there’s a reason to disregard it. And although there haven’t been many efforts towards denuclearization now, there may be more actions made towards that effect in future once more trust has been created between these two countries.
ReplyDeleteI agree more with the South Korean president than the Japanese prime minister, because it is unfortunate that no compromise towards peace could have been made. Based off of what was quoted from Kim Jong-un's later interview, it appeared that he was more willing to talk about peace than Trump. Coming from the position of the South Korean president, it is scary to be sharing a border with a country that is not planning on denuclearizing in the future. Other countries with borders to North Korea may be in just as much fear, given how unpredictable the country could be.
ReplyDeleteI agree more with the Japanese prime minister. North Korea usually is a lot of talk with no action. If their was no actionable plan for denuclearization put down walking is just the better option instead of releasing sanctions. Peace is the outcome everybody would have like but when the north koreans take actions like rebuilding test sites after the U.S did not agree to their poor deal it makes it for countries to want to pursue dialogue. (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47479017) evidence for rebuilding of sohae test site.
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ReplyDeleteIn response to question number two, I agree more with Japan's prime minister. This is because although it is disappointing for the meeting not to have gone as wanted, that is OK as long as the final outcome is the outcome of our choice. If Donald Trump had pushed North Korea's leader to make a decision he did not want to make, Kim Jong Un might begin to hold grudges against the US. It is better to go slowly, then to rush it, especially if we aren't under any immediate threat at the moment. Hopefully, in the future, we will be able to completely denuclearize North Korea, but it is definitely going to take more than just a few meetings.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the Japan's prime minister. It is good that at least once side of the agreement parties is remaining optimistic. However the people must be losing hope on this agreement since these meetings and discussions have been entirely ineffective, and have only been benefiting Kim. In my opinion this agreement with North Korea will not work. Since the nuclear weapons in North Korea are the only thing ensuring safety for his country and dynasty.
ReplyDeleteI think that the result of the summit want the best it could've been but both sides made progress which I think is more important. I think that even just restrictions in their nuclear program would be a strong step forward because I think North Korea would rather have a way to defend itself than not. The main issue that I see with complete denuclearization is that with many countries around North Korea having nuclear weapons, it could be scary to be a country without that kind of security. I also think that a communication building isn't very necessary especially when the past meeting have gone so smoothly. Building something like that would most likely just be symbolic of what they're trying to do.
ReplyDeleteEric Liu
DeleteIn order for the two countries to make peace, both parties need to understand each other's needs. North korea wishes to be a legitimate state and to be recognized by the world. The US wants for North Korea to denuclearize. However, putting more sanctions on North Korea will only aggravate them more. The solution is to take the peaceful route, not one of aggression.
ReplyDelete-Aaron Kang