Moon remembers the 2018 Pyongyang summit, whilst the North is silent

The South Korean president points out that “There has since been not a single armed clash between South and North”. However, denuclearisation and demilitarisation are stalled because talks between the US and North Korea have failed.

Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Two years after the historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang, President Moon Jae-in said that the resulting agreement must be implemented, despite "internal and external restraints”.

In a message posted on Facebook today, President Moon cited his speech in front of 150,000 people at Pyongyang’s May Day stadium and the resulting decisions on denuclearisation and peace on the Korean peninsula.

In the statement issued in Pyongyang, the two leaders decided on some steps such as the demolition of the Yongbyon nuclear power plant in North Korea and the demilitarisation of some areas, including Panmunjom.

Since then "There has since been not a single armed clash between South and North," Moon noted. However, the “clock” of peace has stopped and none of the agreement’s provisions have been implemented.

"Our commitment to peace is firm,” said the South Korean president. Greater inter-Korean cooperation is stalled by the lack of progress in US-North Korean talks since 2019.

For their part, North Korean media did not mention the summit anniversary, but focused instead on anti-COVID-19 measures and on the work to repair the damages caused by a recent typhoon.

• korea
• north
• south
• Moon Jae-in
• Kim Jong-un
• summit
• anniversary
• denuclearisation
• demilitarisation
• united states