Trump hails ‘great progress’ on Korean nuclear crisis

Trump hails ‘great progress’ on Korean nuclear crisis

Context:

U.S. President Donald Trump hailed “great progress” in attempts to resolve the Korean nuclear crisis after the White House said the President accepted an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a face to face meeting.

What has happened?

• The White House has portrayed the breakthrough as a success of Mr. Trump’s policy of maximum pressure on North Korea, declaring that there will be no let up in pressure and denuclearisation remained the objective of the U.S.
• The White House official has said that the terms of a settlement is not on the agenda at the moment, but as and when that stage is reached, inspection and verification of North Korea’s nuclear programme would be part of it.

Backdrop:

• In a remarkable development that followed unprecedented meetings in Pyongyang, South Korea Delegation had said that North Korea has been willing to talk to USA about giving up its nuclear weapons
• South Korean National Security Adviser Chung Eui-Yong told Mr. Trump that Mr. Kim was committed to denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, and no longer objected to joint military exercises by South Korea and the U.S.
• He added that North Korea will also refrain from further nuclear and missile testing

U.S-South Korean Joint Military Exercise:

• North Korea’s willingness to ignore the U.S-South Korean joint military exercises is a climb-down for Pyongyang, and encouraging for Washington.
• China has been proposing ‘freeze for freeze,’ i.e. discontinuation of tests by the North and exercises by the South and the U.S., as an initial step towards a diplomatic breakthrough.
• Joint exercises are now due; thought dates have not been announced.

Reaction from China:

China has welcomed the decision for talks, saying the nuclear issue is moving in the right direction.