A Dream Comes True

Things that seemed unlikely just one year ago were realized on Sept. 20 on top of Baekdusan Mountain, the highest mountain, an old volcano, in North Korea: the two leaders of the long-divided Koreas stood on Janggun Peak, the highest spot atop the symbolic mountain, holding each other¡¯s hands high.

On the final day of his three-day visit to the northern part of the peninsula, President Moon Jae-in saw one of his dreams come true. The president said to his North Korean counterpart, ¡°I swore many times that I would go to Baekdusan Mountain from the North Korean side, not from the Chinese side. Now, it has happened.¡±

Pointing at the Cheonji crater lake below, Chairman Kim said, ¡°I hope we will dip a calligraphy brush of new history into the lake, whose water never dries out, and write a new chapter in the history of the inter-Korean relationship.¡±

A Land of Peace

Seemingly, some of pages that constitute 1 new chapters of history have already been written during the Pyeongyang Summit. Every step that President Moon took in the North Korean capital was history, from a tour to the mountain to an address given to 150,000 Pyeongyang residents at a mass gymnastics performance, a first ever by a South Korean leader. The biggest milestone came with what President Moon agreed upon with Chairman Kim after what he called several ¡°long, candid conversations.¡±

The Pyeongyang talks have created concrete conditions for complete denuclearization and for the resumption of the stalled U.S.-North Korea dialogue. Chairman Kim expressed his unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization and, instead, to focusing on economic development. He agreed to ¡°permanently dismantle the Dongchang-ri missile engine test site and launch platform under the observation of experts from relevant countries.¡± The North Korean leader also promised the ¡°permanent dismantlement of nuclear facilities in Yeongbyeon, as the U.S. takes corresponding measures in accordance with the spirit of the first Washington-Pyeongyang summit in Singapore.¡±

The terms ¡°observation¡± and ¡°permanent dismantlement¡± that the North used have the same meaning as a verifiable and irreversible dismantlement, ultimately, President Moon stressed. For the acceleration of the denuclearization process, Chairman Kim expressed hope that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would visit the North and that a second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump would be held as early as possible.

To much surprise, President Moon could say yes to the first-ever visit to Seoul by a North Korean leader as early as within this year. ¡°Chairman Kim¡¯s visit to Seoul would not only mean the regularization of inter-Korean summits, but also the opening of an era when people can travel back and forth regularly between the two Koreas.¡±

Pyeongyang Declaration Concretes
a Road to Peace

The two Koreas are now ready to launch a new era on the peninsula where there is no more war, nuclear threat or conflict. There will only come reconciliation, cooperation and co-prosperity.

President Moon and Chairman Kim share the belief that the ¡°firm foundation of inter-Korean relations and trust¡± must come before the North¡¯s denuclearization and before its further engagement with other parts of the world.

This shared belief is well-reflected in the Pyeongyang Joint Declaration of September 2018 that was penned following two sessions of the summit. Under the declaration, both sides promised the ¡°substantial removal of the danger of war across the entire peninsula¡± by adopting a military agreement.

The declaration also included practical steps aimed at boosting inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation, covering infrastructure, tourism, health care, the arts and even sports. To name just a few, they will re-open the shuttered Gaeseong Industrial Complex and restart the stalled Geumgangsan Mountain tours. The Koreas also agreed to open a permanent family reunion center and allow war-separated family members to stay in touch via video calls or letters.
Many critics and experts from all around the world welcomed the outcomes of the Pyeongyang Summit and lauded it as ¡°a great leap¡± and ¡°a tremendous step to take.¡± At the same time, they predict that the two Koreans will hit lots of bumps on the road toward peace.

Forging peace is not easy, indeed. It¡¯s a time-consuming process that might take decades of years and effort. With nobody knowing how things will end up, what¡¯s clear is that the two Koreas are slowly getting closer to bigger results after three separate summits this year. It¡¯s a good sign that this peaceful move remains on track, despite the derailed U.S.-North Korea talks. Hopefully, the two Koreas will continue to keep it going forward to write a new chapter in the history that they are now writing together.