Photo Source Cheongwadae / Blue House | CC BY 2.0
South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s meeting with North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un on September 18-20 culminated in the signing of the Pyongyang Declaration, which marked a significantadvance towards peace and heralded a welcome warming in relations. Since that time, however, contradictions within the Trump administration’s North Korea policy threaten to forestall further progress and test the patience of its South Korean ally.
Among the measures outlined in the Pyongyang Declaration, the two sides agreed to “expand the cessation of military hostility in regions of confrontation such as the DMZ,” with the goal of removing the danger of war “across the entire Korean Peninsula.” [1]North and South Korea quickly moved to begin to implement the plan, shutting down some border guard posts and initiating the removal of landminesfrom the Joint Security Area. Plansare also afoot to establish a no-fly zone over the DMZ, and communication procedures are being established to prevent armed clashes.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, the formal name for North Korea) committed todismantlingits missile launch platform and test site “under the observation of experts from relevant countries.” North Korea promised that it would “take additional measures, such as the permanent dismantlement of the nuclear facilities in Yongbyon, as the United States takes corresponding measures in accordance withthe spirit…