The latest diplomatic manoeuvres have given rise to cautious optimism about a lasting peace – if the Trump administration is willing to play along
Nowadays, it seems everyone wants a piece of Kim Jong-un. The high-profile meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and the North Korean leader late last month is likely to be just the beginning of a series of historic meetings.
Leaders of all the major regional players have lined up for scheduled summits with their North Korean counterpart. Even Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has leveraged the Korean crisis to enhance Japan’s defensive capabilities, has also expressed his willingness to meet Kim.
While there is a cause for cautious optimism, there is no room for complacency. Peace on the peninsula is one of the biggest geopolitical puzzles of our time, and will require nothing short of patience, self-restraint and categorical commitment to diplomatic resolution by all relevant parties.
Just months earlier, the world was on the brink of direct military conflict, as Washington and Pyongyang ramped up their war of words and threatened to settle their grievances in the theatre of war.
After months of escalating tensions, however, a new buzz is in the air. And it is the abiding hope for a diplomatic breakthrough, which would place a divided Korea on the path to irreversible reconciliation and, eventually, full reunification.
Based on recent discussions with senior leaders from North Korea and other concerned parties, it’s clear to me that the only way forward is a final peace agreement.
Since 1953, the Korean peninsula has been in a state of suspended war, with the belligerent parties separated by a tenuous armistice that ended armed hostilities but not the threat of renewed conflict.
A final peace agreement will have to replace the long ceasefire with a formal recognition of the legitimate interest of nations on both sides of the divide.
The North Koreans seek security guarantees against the threats of regime change by outside forces, particularly America.
Washington and its allies want a definitive end to provocative behaviour by Pyongyang, particularly its nuclear and ballistic missile tests in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
