Reports

Statement on Inter-Korean Summit

by David Albright

April 27, 2018

We wish to congratulate the leaders of North and South Korea for holding an impressive summit that produced a joint declaration committing both countries to a future of peace and prosperity without nuclear weapons, and for that matter, many conventional military forces. The three-page declaration is breathtaking in its scope and ambition. But how to achieve all the goals laid out in the document, given the current situation? Unless a firm foundation and plan for North Korea’s complete, verified and irreversible nuclear disarmament is laid out within a relatively short time schedule (2-3 years), most of the other commitments in the declaration are merely wishes.

Nonetheless, the summit appears to lay the foundation for a summit between President Trump and Chairman Kim. We hope that the summit will succeed in generating a detailed roadmap with a concrete plan and schedule on a way forward to North Korea’s denuclearization and in creating a lasting peace on the Korean peninsula.

David Albright, President,
Institute for Science and International Security

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