I give Trump full credit for this one. This agreement was the best possible outcome.
Many will disagree because, as the WSJ reports, the Talks Were Short on New Nuclear Pledges From North Korea.
Talks between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un produced few specific new commitments by Pyongyang to surrender its nuclear weapons, pushing any deal on timing and verification of disarmament to future negotiations.
Some of the biggest developments weren’t in the document signed by the two leaders. Speaking to reporters a few hours later, Mr. Trump said he would cease “tremendously expensive” joint military exercises with South Korea, a move he thought would be welcomed by Mr. Kim.
In addition, Mr. Trump said Mr. Kim had agreed to destroy a missile-engine testing site, in a concession that wasn’t part of the written agreement. Last week, 38 North, a website on North Korean affairs, published satellite imagery that showed North Korea had razed a missile test stand in the country’s northwest.
Perhaps the most important outcome was to open a channel between Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim and set the stage for more high-level negotiations over thorny issues like the pace of North Korea’s denuclearization and a verification process that the declaration says are slated to begin as soon as possible.
On Tuesday, Mr. Trump lauded Mr. Kim as “a very worthy, very smart negotiator.”
“We had a terrific day, and we learned a lot about each other and about our countries,” Mr. Trump said. “I learned he’s a very talented man. I also learned that he loves his country very much.”
Mr. Kim, for his part, expressed his gratitude to the U.S. leader for making the summit possible, and said he wanted to “leave the past behind.”
“The world will see a major change” as a result of their talks, he said.
Full Text of Agreement
Vox has the Full Text of the Agreement. Here are the key snips:
The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.
The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.
Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.
Having acknowledged that the U.S.-DPRK summit — the first in history — was an epochal event of great significance in overcoming decades of tensions and hostilities between the two countries and for the opening up of a new future, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un commit to implement the stipulations in this joint statement fully and expeditiously. The United States and the DPRK commit to hold follow-up negotiations, led by the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and a relevant high-level DPRK official, at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes of the U.S.-DPRK summit.
President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea have committed to cooperate for the development of new U.S.-DPRK relations and for the promotion of peace, prosperity, and security of the Korean Peninsula and of the world.
Trump described the document as “very comprehensive,” but there were no particulars on how to make the denuclearization process quick, verifiable or irreversible—often stated U.S. goals.
However, the threat of immediate hostilities vanished and perhaps we can see the beginning of a diplomatic process that will end over 60 years of enmity.
I suspect many will think Trump caved in. I think this was Trump’s finest moment as president.
MIke “Mish” Shedlock
East Germany was a vassal State of the Soviet Union just as North Korea is a vassal state of China. Kim is dependent on China and China can eliminate Kim the moment he is not useful. Im not going to say that Kim would be better aligned with the US. If Kim is smart then he will make a play for reunification. The US and Japan will not interfere with a unified Korea. They will want the best relations possible to deal with Chinese economic and military growth. China will restrain itself with a unified Korea because it doesn’t want to alienate a unified Korea and push it towards the US and Japan. The greatest possible autonomy for North and South Korea is reunification. Kim may leave power but if he does then don’t be fooled into thinking he is without power, influence and wealth even in a unified Korea Kim will be richer than he could have dreamed and he will hold major power and influence over North Korea even when unified…if anything his power and influence might even grow as North Korea gets richer and more developed. North Koreans will gradually forget the totalitarian days of starvation and death camps and attribute the new found prosperity to a now fatherly / grandfatherly Kim. However, pre-unification is the most dangerous time for Kim as China could very easily decide it wont support unification or denuclearization or an autonomous North Korea that isn’t threatening the US, Japan or South Korea by proxy for China….and as a result…..China could decide to replace Kim with someone more compliant with China’s wishes. This wont happen in a unified Korea but it could easily happen in a North Korea totally dependent on China.
“Trump is a BS artist and this is his greatest achievement.” So a peaceful solution to NK with them giving up nuclear ambitions is BS? You are a weird guy, Ambrose.
Sure and the 800lb gorilla in the room isn’t present. What sort of security guarantees has NK made with China? Trump is a BS artist and this is his greatest achievement.
“Why should this agreement be any different than previous?” Good question Jojo. The answer is because we do not have a fool negotiating the deal this time. If Donny does not get full access for verification he will walk away from the deal. He has already said so. What is Donny giving in return? Apparently, only a guarantee that the Korean War will end and NK’s existence will not be threatened. Sounds like a good deal to me.
Politics is such a “child’s tea party” these days. I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole missile experiment and war-of-threats was just a contrived stage show. That’s because to get anything done in such a broken world, especially on sensitive or controversial issues, global politicians need a cause. What better way to coerce the electorate than to use the word WMD in a sentence…
There was a time when you could believe the people we voted for, even while accepting their limitations. Now the morons in power in “the West” are often as arrogantly dangerous as the dictators and tyrants they attempt to bully into submission.
Two maxims come to mind regarding Trump & KJU.
NK has lied about promises to denuclearize at least 4 times in the past and each time, has violated and gone back on any agreements made. Why should this agreement be any different than previous? Let’s revist this in 6-12 months and see where we stand.
Iran has violated the NPT flagrantly. NPT signatories enjoy certain privileges and [should] abide to certain obligations and constraints. Iran took the privileges, but violated the obligations and constraints it signed on willingly.
A major problem with the Obama-Iran deal is that it fails to remedy these NPT violations.
The Iran precedent teaches that it is ok to violate the NPT. Reportedly, other countries follow the same blue print. It is difficult to prove. By the time we have a proof, it is kinda late to put the genie back into the bottle. Isn’t it?
Obama gave Iran access to their own funds which we had frozen in exchange for further cooperation and you call that a bad deal?
Congress wouldn’t approve the deal because it’s full of war-mongers. I have no love for Obama, but you apparently advocate stealing other countries’ resources because we don’t like their internal politics?
The world does not want N and S Korea to unite. One Korea is difficult enough to compete with.
My impression of the meeting between Kim and Moon at Panmumjom was that Kim’s reaction was genuine, not staged.
Trump and Kim meeting is also a positive development. How this is going to work out, nobody knows, yet. It isn’t just about nukes, it is about ending the Korean War and the re-integration of two Koreas that have been separated since 1945.
“The Iran deal was negotiaged by a group of major powers along with technical experts at each country as well as the IAEA.” The fact is Obama would not submit the Iran deal for congressional approval because he knew it would not pass, so it was his deal alone, and always legally subject to change or withdrawal. Obama was the WORST negotiator the US has ever had. The verification of Iranian nuclear intentions in Obama’s deal is a joke. Kudos to Donny for working on fixing the Iran deal mistake.
Amazing how the Trump Haters are stepping out from the shadows to comment on this article. For some die-hard democrats, socialists and progressives Trump will never be acceptable no matter how successful he is for American interests.
The truth is no one really knows anything yet. The most that can be known is that courteous talk is better than name-calling. TDS is a powerful disease.
60 years of enmity? Try 73.
It started on Sept 8 1945 when the USA refused to meet with representatives of the provisional government who had come out to Incheon to welcome them, preferring instead to do business with the already capitulated Japanese authorities. The US wanted to inject their own regime instead of the resistance fighters in the provisional government.
All the naysayers here are pathetic. When NK eventually gives up nuclear weapons, they will still complain that US gives in to NK’s demands. They do not want peace. They are just Trump haters.
Let’s see, obama received the Noble Peace Prize for doing what again? Not even a hint of embarrassment or shame.
A far more accurate summary of proceedings than Michael “Happy-Ears” Shedlock. C’mon Mish, there is nothing here, and, after breaking our promises to Iran, does anybody take one word American “leadership” utters on the world stage as reliable any longer? (Also, why is this in the “Global Economics” section and not the “Global Politics” one?)
historic dog and pony show lol,think for one minute NK givin up nukes then i got some sweet beach front property in phoenix to show you WRITE NOW!Beijeng put on this charade so they can keep dumpin their overpriced junk at walmart and target,lol
Many props to Trump. By meeting with Kim Jong Un, the United States is recognizing the legitimacy of the government of North Korea. Something no president has been willing to do for 60 years, which has left the Korean peninsula technically at war. Trump has broken the back of the deep state on North Korea, and given us the possibility of being able to finally remove our troops from S. Korea and bring peace to a long-suffering people. And I’m a guy who despises Trump.
The Iran deal was negotiaged by a group of major powers along with technical experts at each country as well as the IAEA. There is nothing to see here yet and I really do want to know how the US plans on monitoring any future compliance without the assistance of IAEA who Trump seems to despise.
If Obama, Bush II or Clinton (WJ) had done this trip and ‘agreement’ the howls would be deafening. LIke all things Trump, it is a farcical sham. Really Mish, you are giving him props for having a photo op that gives NK leadership the attention they crave on the world stage in exchange for absolutely nothing.
Old Chinese saying: even a blind cat sometimes falls on a dead mouse.
Old proverb…”The longest journey starts with a small step”. It’s far better to meet across a table to find common ground than to meet on the battle field to bludgeon your point across.
We’ve been conditioned since 9/11 (some would argue earlier) to be cynical and expect war, so if these North Korea talks are genuine it comes as a very pleasant surprise. I’d also REALLY like to see this trend continue to Iran. We need more fruitful talks and fewer cases like Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Ukraine, Yemen, etc. I’m hesitant to give much credit until continued goodwill is apparent after this meeting.
I’m also hoping Trump didn’t cut a deal with the Pentagon to have these talks in exchange for a “bombs away” policy elsewhere. It’s all too easy to imagine the likes of Bolton, Pompeo, and Rudy 911iani temporarily behaving well because they know other misadventures are just around the corner.