If Kim Jong-un deceives about his denuclearization commitments, the price to pay will be very high.
(Baonghean.vn) - Previous efforts to denuclearize North Korea have ended without significant results. From the 1994 Framework Agreement to the 2012 Leap Day Agreement, past negotiations failed due to mistrust and ultimately allowed Pyongyang to declare itself a full-fledged nuclear power.
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Skepticism remains surrounding the success or failure of the first-ever US-North Korea summit in Singapore. Photo: Getty |
Currently, considerable skepticism remains surrounding the success or failure of the first-ever US-North Korea summit in Singapore. Despite the historical significance of the event, doubts persist regarding whether North Korea will abandon its nuclear weapons, which it considers the ultimate guarantee of its regime's survival.
However, Lee Jong-seok, who closely followed inter-Korean relations under the South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun's administration, held a different view, suggesting that Kim Jong-un's commitment to denuclearization seemed more sincere than that of his predecessors.
Lee Jong-seok, currently an advisor to President Moon Jae-in on inter-Korean relations, commented, "If Kim Jong-un is just trying to deceive without making any commitment to denuclearization, then he is playing a really dangerous game. It will backfire."
This expert argues that the North Korean leader has taken a series of steps to make the commitment to denuclearization irreversible, and that this message is being sent not only to the parties involved but also to the people within the country.
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| Lee Jong-seok, currently an advisor to President Moon Jae-in on inter-Korean relations. Photo: AP |
According to Lee, Kim Jong-un's sincere attitude toward denuclearization may be because he wants to transform his impoverished country into "an economically prosperous nation"—an outcome that can only be achieved by lifting economic sanctions in exchange for Pyongyang abandoning its nuclear arsenal.
However, this expert asserted that one should not place too high expectations on this summit, as this could send a bad signal to North Korea, causing Kim Jong-un to doubt the US's motives and leading Pyongyang back to its previous path of isolation.
Mr. Lee proposed measures that North Korea could immediately agree to implement, namely compiling a list of its nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles, and removing these weapons from North Korea by the end of this year at the latest.
In return, the U.S. would compensate North Korea with “irreversible measures,” in the form of security, political, and economic guarantees, such as a formal declaration ending the Korean War, the establishment of diplomatic relations, and the lifting of economic sanctions.
