Koreas Reach Agreement on Peace

KOREAS REACH AGREEMENT ON PEACE, PROSPERITY AND UNITY 

By Kevin Zeese

Below is the official declaration reached at the Inter-Korean summit yesterday. The agreement puts forth far-reaching goals on critical fronts. Below are key quotations from the text: 

*there will be no more war on the Korean Peninsula and thus a new era of peace has begun
*bring a swift end to the Cold War relic of longstanding division and confrontation, to boldly approach a new era of national reconciliation, peace and prosperity 

*bring forward the future of co-prosperity and unification led by Koreans
*encourage more active cooperation, exchanges, visits and contacts at all levels in order to rejuvenate the sense of national reconciliation and unity between South and North alleviate the acute military tension and practically eliminate the danger of war on the Korean Peninsula
*transform the demilitarized zone into a peace zone
*actively cooperate to establish a permanent and solid Peace regime on the Korean peninsula
*carry out disarmament in a phased manner, as military tension is alleviated
*establish a permanent and solid Peace regime on the Korean peninsula 

The document refers to the “Korean nation” when discussing the two Koreas. They describe their existence as it having “resulted from the division of the nation.” They see themselves as one nation divided by outside forces and repeatedly describe efforts to seek unity. 

The agreement also makes it clear they will decide the future of the Korean Peninsula, e.g. they state “South and North Korea affirmed the principle of determining the destiny of the Korean nation on their own accord . . .” Is that a diplomatic message to the superpowers on their borders, China and Russia as well as the United States that it will be Koreans who determine their own future? Korea has been a pawn in the conflicts between superpowers for much of its history since WW II. See articles below on the history of Korea. 

When it comes to the military conflict, they agree to “cease all the hostile acts against each other in every domain including land, air, and sea, that are the sources of military tension and conflict.” How does this statement relate to the war games that South Korea and the United States engage in that practice nuclear and other attacks on the North? If South Korea ceases all hostile acts, those war games seem unable to continue. The United States could not continue practice attacks on North Korea without the participation of South Korea. 

There is lots of promise in this agreement for a very different future for the Korean Peninsula. The upcoming meeting between President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un will be the next step. Let’s hope it is a continuation of forward steps, not a step backward into threats. The peace movement in the US and around the world should encourage reaching a positive agreement as the Koreas have displayed in this meeting. 

++++++++++++++++++++

This is a historic moment. I do hope this peace agreement succeeds.