This year’s thaw in inter-Korean relations and several rounds of high-level diplomacy have raised hopes of a breakthrough to bring a lasting peace to the Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia.
President Moon Jae-in seized the opportunity of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in February to initiate dialog with the North Korean leadership. The April summit with Kim Jong Un resulted in the Panmunjom Declaration, which included a commitment to “make joint efforts to alleviate the acute military tension and practically eliminate the danger of war on the Korean Peninsula.”
The two sides also “agreed to
This year’s thaw in inter-Korean relations and several rounds of high-level diplomacy have raised hopes of a breakthrough to bring a lasting peace to the Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia.
Dr. Daniel A. Pinkston is a lecturer in international relations with Troy University. Previously he was the Northeast Asia Deputy Project Director for the International Crisis Group in Seoul, and the director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.