Will the US Drop Sanctions and Economic Embargo?

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol Ju walk with South Korea's President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook during a farewell ceremony at the end of their historic summit at the truce village of Panmunjom on April 27, 2018. (Photo: Inter Korean Press Corp / NurPhoto via Getty Images)North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol Ju walk with South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook during a farewell ceremony at the end of their historic summit at the truce village of Panmunjom on April 27, 2018. (Photo: Inter Korean Press Corp / NurPhoto via Getty Images)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has pledged to abandon his nuclear weapons if the United States agrees to formally end the Korean War and promises not to invade his country. The announcement came after a historic meeting Friday between Kim and South Korean leader Moon Jae-in in the truce village of Panmunjom. Then, on Sunday, North Korea’s state media said Kim had vowed to immediately suspend nuclear and missile tests, and would dismantle its Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site. We discuss the potentially historic developments with Tim Shorrock, correspondent for The Nation and the Korea Center for Investigative Journalism in Seoul.

TRANSCRIPT

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: We begin today with news that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has pledged to abandon his nuclear weapons if the United States agrees to formally end the Korean War and promises not to invade his country. This comes after an historic meeting Friday between Kim and South Korean leader Moon Jae-in in the truce village of Panmunjom. During the meeting, which was broadcast live on the Korean Peninsula and around the world, the two leaders held hands and pledged to work for peace and replace the 1953 armistice with a formal truce. On Sunday, North Korea’s state media said Kim had vowed to immediately suspend nuclear and missile tests, and would dismantle its Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site. Some analysts say the site has been unusable since a massive test last September caused an earthquake so big that satellites captured images of the mountain above the site actually moving. But a South Korean presidential spokesman said that while some facilities are not functioning, others remain in good condition. He also told reporters Kim had…

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