Page 10 - aruba-today-20180428

A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 28 april 2018

Korean summit lays out a path to peace but short on details

By FOSTER KLUG text of the last year — when
Associated Press the United States, its ally
GOYANG, South Korea South Korea and North Ko-
(AP) — The leaders of North rea threatened and raged
and South Korea vowed Fri- as the North unleashed a
day to seek a nuclear-free torrent of weapons tests —
peninsula and work toward but also in light of the long,
a formal end to the Korean destructive history of the ri-
War this year, though their val Koreas, who fought one
historic summit concluded of the 20th century's bloodi-
with few specifics on how est conflicts and even to-
they will reach those ambi- day occupy a divided pen-
tious goals. insula that's still technically
North Korean leader Kim in a state of war.
Jong Un and South Korean Trump tweeted Friday, "KO-
President Moon Jae-in set REAN WAR TO END!" and
aside a year that saw them said the U.S. "should be very
seemingly on the verge of proud of what is now taking
war. They grasped hands place in Korea!" Both Kore-
and strode together across as agreed to jointly push for
the cracked concrete talks this year with the U.S.
marking the Koreas' border. and also potentially China
The sight, inconceivable In this image made from video provided by Korea Broadcasting System (KBS), North Korean lead- to officially end the Korean
just months ago, may not er Kim Jong Un, left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in raise their hands after signing on a War, which stopped with
erase their failure to pro- joint statement at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone Friday, April 27, 2018. an armistice that never
vide any new measures Associated Press ended the war.
on a nuclear standoff that Many will be judging the
has captivated and terri- dent Donald Trump in com- from nuclear threats and the world and declared summit based on the weak
fied millions, but it allowed ing weeks. missile tests to intimations of that the Koreas are "linked nuclear language. North
the leaders to step forward Still, the summit produced peace and cooperation. by blood as a family and Korea's nuclear and missile
toward the possibility of a the spectacle of two men Perhaps the change is best compatriots who cannot tests last year likely put it on
cooperative future even from nations with a deep illustrated by geography: live separately." The leaders the threshold of becoming
as they acknowledged a and bitter history of acri- Kim and Moon's historic also vowed to achieve "a a legitimate nuclear pow-
fraught past and the wide- mony grinning from ear to handshake and a later nuclear-free Korean Penin- er. The North, which has
spread skepticism that, ear after Kim walked over 30-minute conversation at sula through complete de- spent decades doggedly
after decades of failed di- the border to greet Moon, a footbridge on the border nuclearization," something building its bombs despite
plomacy, things will be any becoming the first leader occurred within walking they've said before. crippling sanctions and
different this time. of his nation to set foot on distance of the spot where The latest declaration be- near-constant international
On the nuclear issue, the southern soil since the Ko- a North Korean soldier fled tween the Koreas, Kim said, opprobrium, claims it has
leaders merely repeated a rean War. south in a hail of gunfire last should not repeat the "un- already risen to that level.
previous vow to rid the Ko- Both leaders then briefly year, and where North Ko- fortunate history of past South Korean conserva-
rean Peninsula of nuclear stepped together into the rean soldiers killed two U.S. inter-Korean agreements tive politicians criticized the
weapons, kicking one of North and back to the soldiers with axes in 1976. that only reached the start- joint statement as letting
the world's most pressing South. Standing next to Moon af- ing line" before becoming North Korea off the hook
issues down the road to a The summit marks a sur- ter the talks ended, Kim derailed. by failing to secure a clear
much-anticipated summit real, whiplash swing in re- faced a wall of cameras What happened Friday commitment on nuclear
between Kim and U.S. Presi- lations for the countries, beaming his image live to should be seen in the con- disarmament.q
Eyes on Koreas as Southeast Asian leaders hold summit

By ANNABELLE LIANG things are happening both and the tensions it sparked, Southeast Asia. Thailand tive discussion and de-
SINGAPORE (AP) — South- within and beyond ASEAN," but continue to hosts its has offered to host the velop a consensus among
east Asian leaders will Singapore's Foreign Minister embassies and welcome meeting and South Korean the ASEAN partners on the
discuss economic coop- Vivian Balakrishnan said in its presence at a regional daily JoongAng Ilbo report- overall approach," he add-
eration and Myanmar's an opening address. "I think forum. ed that Singapore is on the ed. The leaders will gather
refugee crisis at a summit it's all the more important "In the past, ASEAN member shortlist of locations. Saturday for a retreat,
in Singapore, but much of that we remain united, that states have provided good At a working dinner with where analysts said they
their attention will be fo- we project a common pur- offices for talks, and the Southeast Asian leaders on are expected to discuss
cused on the history un- pose." budding rapprochement Friday, Singaporean Prime free trade and Myanmar's
folding on the Korean Pen- It was a clear reference to between Seoul and Pyong- Minister Lee Hsien Loong refugee crisis. The South
insula. Friday's landmark meeting yang is a welcome devel- said ASEAN needs to grow China sea, where the bloc
Foreign ministers from the between North Korea's Kim opment," said Tang Siew more resilient to tackle is currently negotiating a
Association of Southeast Jong Un and South Korea's Mun, head of the ASEAN cross-boundary threats code of conduct with Chi-
Asian Nations met in Sin- Moon Jae-In. ASEAN has Studies Centre at the ISEAS- such as terrorism, climate na, is likely to be less promi-
gapore on Friday to affirm long advocated for dia- Yusof Ishak Institute.There change and cybersecurity. nent. In addition to Singa-
a common vision amid logue and peace on the has been speculation that "We do not expect to re- pore, the ASEAN members
happenings beyond their Korean Peninsula. a meeting between Kim solve all the issues within are Myanmar, Cambodia,
10-member group. Southeast Asian nations and U.S. President Donald the one-year span of our Laos, Indonesia, Thailand,
"We do so at a momentous have been wary of the Trump in the coming weeks chairmanship, but we do Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei
time in the world, many North's nuclear program could possibly be held in hope to prompt a produc- and the Philippines.q