World Politics News   Articles for World Politics Course

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in had face to face meetings in the Demilitarized Zone, marking the first time a North Korean leader has set foot in South Korea.  The visual images of the meeting conveyed unmistakably optimistic vibes and the official communiques were laced with promising aspirations.  The two signed a document called the Panmunjom Declaration which announced that “South and North Korea confirmed the common goal of realizing, through complete denuclearization, a ­nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.”  Similar documents have been signed in the past, but this is the first time that Kim Jong-un has signed a document that had as its goal the elimination of a nuclear arsenal he has worked so hard to create (and which was largely responsible for all this diplomatic movement).  Many of us remain highly skeptical that the US and South Korea share the same definition of denuclearization with North Korea.  In his press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel,US President Trump made it very clear that he is heavily invested in his upcoming meeting with Kim.  According to Jonathan Swan: “He came into office thinking he could be the historic deal maker to bring peace to the Middle East. He’s stopped talking about that. There’s very little point. The peace deal looks dead and cremated. But Trump wants to sign his name even larger into the history books, and he views North Korea as his moment.”  If Swan is correct, then Trump is thinking about the upcoming summit in terms that place him a very weak bargaining position.

Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in Embrace in Panmunjom