The inter-Korean Summit a turning point for the Korean peninsula, while U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned he would maintain sanctions pressure on Pyongyang ahead of his own unprecedented meeting with Kim Jong Un.
The North’s media separately released the joint statement North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in presented on Friday after the first summit in more than a decade between the two Koreas. Kim and Moon had sworn to work for complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and consented on a common goal of a “nuclear-free” peninsula.
“At the talks both sides had a candid and open-hearted exchange of views on the matters of mutual concern including the issues of improving the north-south relations, ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula and the denuclearization of the peninsula,” KCNA said, reporting that the night wrapped up with a dinner with an “amicable atmosphere overflowing with feelings of blood relatives.”
The declaration earned guarded but optimistic praise from world leaders, including Trump, who said that only time would tell, but that he did not think Kim was “playing.” “It’s never gone this far. This enthusiasm for them wanting to make a deal … We are going to hopefully make a deal.” Still, Trump told reporters, he would maintain pressure on North Korea and “not repeat the mistakes of past administrations.”
Speaking on Saturday at a televised news conference in Sydney, Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull praised Trump’s negotiations on North Korea and said he helped bring the two Korean leaders together.
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“I have given him that credit because Donald Trump has taken a very, very strong, hard line on the denuclearization issue and he has been able to bring in the support of the global community and, in particular, China,” Turnbull said. “North Korea’s economic relationship is overwhelming with China. And so China’s preparedness to impose those sanctions has been the critical change that has put the economic pressure on North Korea.”
Turnbull said the pressure from China and the U.S. had brought Kim to the point of denuclearizing the Korean peninsula.
“What we’ve now got to do is not relent on the economic pressure until that goal is achieved,” he said. Australia will send a military aircraft to monitor North Korean vessels suspected of transferring illicit goods in defiance of U.N. sanctions, he said.
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