The Roles of the United States in the Peace Process of the Korean Peninsula

Many Americans are now familiar with Korean culture. They watch the film Parasite, listen to the music of BTS, and enjoy Korean food such as Bulgogi, Galbi, and Bibimbap. Many teenagers in the United States are learning Taekwondo and studying Hangul and the Korean language. Furthermore, smartphones made by Samsung and cars made by Hyundai or Kia can be easily seen here in the United States.

In this manner, many Americans know and enjoy Korean culture much better than before, but there are still many cases where they do not know much about: Korea's geography and history. Currently, there are two separate countries on the Korean Peninsula: the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), separated by the armistice line.

It is not that the two countries existed separately on the Korean Peninsula from the beginning. Rather, on the Korean Peninsula, one united country has existed for a longer period at least since modern times. They spoke the same language, shared the same ethnicity, and enjoyed the same culture for a long time.

The reason that the Korean Peninsula was divided into two countries was due to the Japanese colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula and the Cold War that began immediately after World War II. Independence movements and armed struggles for independence from the Japanese colonial rule continued on the Korean Peninsula with a great deal of sacrifice, but the liberation and independence of the Korean Peninsula was achieved by the unconditional surrender of Japan to the Allied Powers in 1945.

After the end of World War II, Germany in Europe was divided into East and West with responsibility for the war, in Asia, whereas the Korean Peninsula and Vietnam were divided into North and South instead of Japan. At that time, the majority of Koreans opposed division, but the Cold War and the dynamics of international relations forced them to accept division along the 38th parallel. Furthermore, the Korean War, which began in 1950, not only caused numerous casualties and a total destruction of resources, but also further hardened and strengthened the division and the confrontation between the two Koreas.

About 40 years later, the Cold War led mainly by the United States and the Soviet Union came to an end due to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Eastern European communist states. On the Korean Peninsula, however, the division of North and South Korea, a legacy of the Cold War, is still maintained, and the Korean Peninsula is still suffering a lot of sacrifice and enduring pain due to the division.

In particular, the Korean Peninsula is at a quasi-war state because a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War has not yet been reached. Such military instability on the Korean Peninsula not only threatens the security of the Korean Peninsula, but also poses a great threat to the stability of East Asia and world peace.

The surest way to eliminate military tension and maintain lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula is to achieve unification between two countries that share language, ethnicity, history, and culture. However, such unification cannot be achieved through war or coercion, so a very gradual and long-term process is required. Therefore, peace must be established on the Korean Peninsula before unification is achieved, and peace is an essential condition and method for achieving unification.

In the meantime, many efforts have been made to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula, but the most recent efforts for a complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of a permanent peace regime, stable and lasting inter-Korean relations, the economic co-prosperity on the Korean Peninsula is the peace process initiative by the Moon Jae-in government of South Korea.

Recently, the United States has also made efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and establish a peace regime. In 2018, then-US President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held the first-ever US-DPRK summit and issued a joint statement in Singapore, and in 2019 they held the second US-DPRK summit in Hanoi, Vietnam. Unfortunately, no further progress has been made since then, due to differences of opinion and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under such circumstances, what roles can the United States play in the future for peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula? The United States is still the world's most powerful country and can contribute to world peace through diplomacy, international cooperation, and humanitarian aid. In addition, since the security and economic prosperity of the United States are closely linked to the stability and prosperity of the international order, world peace is a matter directly related to the national interest of the United States.

Regarding peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, first of all, the US government must resolve the North Korean nuclear issue in a diplomatic way through dialogue and negotiation. On the Korean Peninsula, even a local armed conflict can easily trigger an all-out war or an international war, so the idea of ​​resolving the North Korean nuclear issue using force must be abandoned.

Since the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue and the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula are two sides of the same coin, the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue requires the declaration of an end to the Korean War, the easing or lifting of economic sanctions against North Korea, the conclusion of a peace treaty, and the normalization of US-DPRK relations. In this process, the US should work closely with its ally and partner, the South Korean government.

Ordinary Americans can also play an important role in promoting peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula. You can support the Korean Peninsula Peace Act, the North American Family Reunion Act, and the North Korean Humanitarian Assistance Act, which are pending in the Congress, by sending letters or e-mails to the Senators and Representatives. You can also organize and participate in educational activities or peaceful demonstrations for the declaration of an end to the Korean War and the conclusion of a peace treaty. Only when the people of North and South Korea, Korean Americans, and peace-loving American citizens go together on the path for peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula will the stability of the Korean Peninsula and world peace will come.

P.S. This article was published in The Road to Unification by the Orange County San Diego Chapter of the National Unification Advisory Council of the Republic of Korea.

The Biden Administration and Peace on the Korean Peninsula

 

Joe Biden was elected the 46^th president of the United States on November, 3, 2020, and the new Biden administration was subsequently launched on January 20, 2021. The Biden administration, which is expected to implement domestic and foreign policies that would be substantially different from the former Trump administration, is also expected to take a policy significantly distinct in relation to the Korean Peninsula issues.

In doing so, we look forward to establishing a more proactive Korean Peninsula peace policy from the Biden administration, both taking over the achievements and overcoming limitations of Trump’s “maximum pressure and engagement” policy and Obama’s “strategic patience” policy.

As a candidate, President Biden said, “With North Korea, I will empower our negotiators and jump-start a sustained, coordinated campaign with our allies and others, including China, to advance our shared objective of a denuclearized North Korea.”

In order to achieve the denuclearization and establish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, the most urgent task for stability and prosperity in Northeast Asia and for world peace, it is necessary for the Biden administration to closely cooperate with the South Korean government, a partner of the US-ROK alliance and the most concerned party to the Korean Peninsula issues.

It is also imperative that in order to achieve the denuclearization and a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, two most important diplomatic goals in the region, the two principles should always be kept: a diplomatic way through negotiations with Pyongyang, and a step-by-step, reciprocal solution based on action for action. In addition, the “denuclearization first” policy or CVID policy only based on sanctions and pressure, which the former administrations have tried in vain, should not be repeated.

The Biden administration has appointed key positions to deal with North Korea. Some of them argue that the denuclearization of North Korea is impossible or that the North Korean government is not a reliable negotiating partner, neither of which is far from the truth. If the nuclear negotiation process between the US and North Korea since the Clinton administration is closely examined, we can see that North Korea has been seriously engaged in negotiations with the US. In dealing with North Korea, President Biden with expertise in the field of diplomacy should keep this in mind.

In order to negotiate with North Korea, furthermore, it seems desirable to attempt a combined approach from above and from below as necessary. While the Trump administration's top-down approach had a lot of limitations, the bottom-up approach expected from the Biden administration may also have limitations in the initiatives and timing of resolving the North Korean nuclear issue. The two approaches are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

At the Eighth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea held in January this year, North Korea insisted that in order to establish new US-North Korea relations, the US withdraw its hostile policy against North Korea, and said that it would face the US with the tit-for-tat strategy. In fact, North Korea's argument is not new and still expresses a willingness to talk with the United States.

North Korea's nuclear weapons were developed not to preemptively attack the US, but as a deterrent to alleviate the security anxiety of the North Korean regime after the end of the Cold War. With the end of the Cold War, the Soviet Union collapsed, and China established diplomatic relations with South Korea. On the other hand, the United States became the world's only superpower, and the gap in economic and military power between South Korea and North Korea began to widen enormously.

Time is not on our side. Even at this moment, North Korea's nuclear capabilities are increasing and becoming the most unstable factor in peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia. The Biden administration should no longer waste time in the wishful thinking of the collapse of the North Korean regime in the foreseeable future. Instead, it should take as a starting point the principles and spirit of the Singapore Joint Statement agreed by President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un in 2018, where the two countries agreed on the establishment of new US-North Korea relations, a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The Biden administration should keep in mind that these three tasks are closely intwined and that the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of a peace regime are two sides of the coin.

To facilitate peace on the Korean Peninsula, the Biden administration, in close consultation with the South Korean government, should suspend the US-ROK annual joint military exercises as a concrete step to create a peaceful atmosphere and build mutual trust on the Korean Peninsula, return wartime operational command to the government of the Republic of Korea, declare an end to the Korean War, and hold a summit meeting between the U.S. and North Korea as soon as possible.

President Biden will probably be very busy even now overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic and dealing with urgent domestic and foreign problems. However, the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula is also an urgent task that cannot be postponed any longer. We hope that President Biden will show a new leadership for peace on the Korean Peninsula to the world.

P.S. This article was published in The Road to Unification by the Orange County San Diego Chapter of the National Unification Advisory Council of the Republic of Korea.

Five Myths about the Singapore U.S.-North Korea Summit Meeting

In the mass media, there are too many misconceptions about the U.S.-DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea or North Korea) Summit held on June 12 between President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un in Singapore. What emerge are five myths about the summit, stemming from their inability to understand the summit’s significance fully.

The first myth is that the summit failed. But regarding the ultimate goals of denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula, it is too early to tell. We are at the early stages of negotiations. Given the drumbeats of war in 2017, however, the summit is a success in diffusing tensions and initiating a new era of détente. Remember, the United States and North Korea have maintained mutual hostility for about 70 years and have been technically at war.

Some also argue that the summit failed because CVID (complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization) is missing in the joint statement. However, as many experts point out, CVID undermines the sovereignty of North Korea. Their acceptance of CVID would be equivalent to an unconditional surrender, potentially making any denuclearization deal almost impossible. Success in any disarmament negotiations will require compromise and creativity.

The second myth is that North Korea has not yielded, whereas the United States has made too many concessions. But North Korea has already made many concessions. It promised "a complete denuclearization" to the United States, destroyed the Poongyeri nuclear test site, suspended nuclear and missile tests, released three imprisoned US citizens, and began the process of repatriating of the remains of the US soldiers killed during the Korean War. Meeting with Kim Jong Un is not about legitimating him or giving away the store but about building mutual trust for the hard work of building peace and denuclearization.

The third myth is that North Korea is an unreliable negotiating partner. The critics point to failures with past agreements. But a strong case can be made that both the U.S. and North Korea were responsible for the past failures. North Korea dithered and suspended cooperation. With the 1994 Agreed Framework, however, the United States failed to fulfill its pledge to build two light-water reactors and supply heavy oil on schedule. With the 2005 September 19 Joint Statement, the U.S. made additional demands related to special inspections and verification not in the original agreement.

The fourth myth is that the summit should have raised the issue of human rights in North Korea. It is possible to raise human rights issues, but we cannot solve all the problems of North Korea through one negotiation. The critical agenda today is the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Besides, we must also recognize that peace and security are vital human rights on their own. With peace, human rights in North Korea will improve.

The fifth myth is that the declaration of Trump's suspension of US-ROK military exercises weakens the US-ROK alliance. But the suspension is the product of U.S.-ROK cooperation: South Korean President Moon Jae-in asked the United States to postpone the scheduled joint military exercises during the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, and the United States agreed. These paved the way to first the inter-Korean Summit and then the U.S.-DPRK Summit. By no means does it have to mean the weakening or destruction of the U.S.-ROK alliance. Rather, it can help make the ROK - US alliance stronger.

Taking all these into consideration, we must note that the Singapore U.S.-DPRK Summit is a historic breakthrough for the denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula. A peaceful and prosperous Korea will undoubtedly improve U.S. security and increase world peace. Thus, no matter how much you hate Trump or disagree with his other policies, it is time for us to unite at least in supporting his peace initiative in Korea.

The KAPAC Statement for The Korean Peninsula Peace Process

The Korean American Public Action Committee (KAPAC) actively supports the U.S.-North Korea Joint Statement signed at the Singapore U.S.-DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) Summit on June 12th between President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un. We welcome the prospect of ending over 70 years of antagonism between the U.S. and North Korea. We firmly believe that this is the start of a new era of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.

The South and North Korean peace initiatives over the PyeongChang Winter Olympics led to the historic April 27 Inter-Korean Summit between ROK (Republic of Korea) and DPRK, producing the Panmunjom Declaration in which the two Koreas declared that there would be no more war on the Korean Peninsula. The United States and President Donald Trump generously welcomed and embraced this initiative by meeting with Chairman Kim Jong Un at the Singapore Summit. Through the June 12th Joint Statement, the U.S. and North Korea promised to work together to promote peace, prosperity, and security.

We support President Moon Jae-in's commitment to peace on the Korean Peninsula. We support Chairman Kim Jong Un’s will to improve inter-Korean and U.S.-DPRK relations. And we support President Donald Trump’s determination to achieve the peace and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through diplomacy. Their concerted efforts will create a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula as well as in Northeast Asia, adding to world peace and prosperity.

The Korean American Public Action Committee (KAPAC) welcomes and supports the three leaders in this critical endeavor. We urge them to promptly implement the agreements to ensure and realize the vital goals. In this, we hope that the declaration of the end of the Korean War and the signing of a peace treaty take place as early as possible to lay the foundation for the subsequent building of a sustainable peace regime.

Finally, we also urge the South Korean National Assembly and the United States Congress to welcome and support such efforts for peace on the Korean Peninsula and the world in a bipartisan way. All KAPAC members, along with 2.5 million Korean Americans, support our leaders in achieving peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.

July 7, 2018, Korean American Public Action Committee

We welcome and support the U.S.-North Korea Summit

We, the Korean-American Public Action Committee (KAPAC), the Korean-American Federation of Los Angeles, and the Korean-American Association of Greater New York, welcome and endorse the U.S.-North Korea summit in May.

Over the recent decades, the increasing tension on the Korean peninsula has caused us to fear the possibility of a nuclear war, not only involving North Korea and the US, but also involving the world. The agreement between President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un to hold a summit in May, assisted by the bridge-building role played by President Moon Jae-in, is a tremendous opportunity for positively accomplishing peace and denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

A successful summit between President Trump and Chairman Kim will not only accomplish peace and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula but constitute an excellent stepping stone for peace and prosperity, not only for Northeast Asia but also for the US and the world. We also applaud South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has made this possible on the basis of a strong U.S.-ROK alliance, and President Donald Trump, who has shown outstanding leadership.

On behalf of all Korean-Americans in this great country of ours, the United States, KAPAC, KAFLA, and KAAGNY welcome and support the bold and wise decisions by Chairman Kim Jong Un and President Trump to hold the U.S.-North Korean summit. We call forth all Koreans and Korean-Americans, our fellow U.S. citizens and residents, our U.S. government and civic leaders, and the citizens of the global community to welcome and support the upcoming historical U.S.-North Korea summit.

Thank you.

March 19, 2018

The Korean-American Public Action Committee (KAPAC), The Korean-American Federation of Los Angeles, and The Korean-American Association of Greater New York

P.S. This statement has been published on News M.