The 2018 Inter-Korean Summit Meeting, a historic opportunity for peace-building on the Korean Peninsula
People tend to forget the grim reality they are facing, intentionally or unintentionally, and hope to leave it behind them. But, that is not how it should be. You can easily recall what has happened during the whole year of 2017 surrounding the Korean Peninsula. Escalation of tensions fueled by continued exchange of harsh words even prompted possibility of a war. This brings us back to the fact that the Korean War was never officially declared over. The War which left millions of casualties ended in ceasefire with an armistice signed in July 1953.
During the PyeongChang Winter Olympics held in February this year, a window of opportunity to address the heightened tension on the Peninsula was created through the strenuous diplomatic efforts of my government and her close cooperation with neighboring countries. As an outcome, a summit between South and North Korea is to be held on April 27, which will be followed by the first ever U.S.-North Korea summit.
We do not have any naive illusion that having these meetings will resolve the North Korean nuclear issues at once. On the other hand, however, we do recognize that such a valuable opportunity should not be missed. Our firm conviction that the issues of the Korean Peninsula should be resolved peacefully will guide us in our preparations to the upcoming Inter-Korean Summit. We believe that diplomacy, rather than military options, should be the tool of choice in exploring possible solutions to denuclearize North Korea.
When it comes to the North Korean nuclear issues, it must also be recognized that the strong will and commitment of the international community have been instrumental in bringing about the current positive development. As my government stated many times, we will continue to implement the U.N. Security Council’s resolutions against North Korea and will closely cooperate with other
countries in this regard. At the same time, we will coordinate with the rest of the world on what we can do together to encourage North Korea to participate in the international community as a responsible member.
Finally, we are fully committed to generating a virtuous cycle between improving the inter-Korean relations and denuclearizing North Korea. The Inter-Korean Summit will be the beginning of a long process of confidence- building in the Korean Peninsula, resolving the problem of deep-rooted distrust between the two Koreas, which has been a major obstacle in improving the relationship. Hopefully, our efforts to create positive environment for such trust- building, reinforced by the U.S.-North Korea Summit, could translate into resolving the North’s nuclear issues in the end.
I take this opportunity to appreciate the Czech government’s unwavering support for our policy towards North Korea. The Czech Republic has always stood with us in maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
Taking into account the country’s struggle to find peace, stability and democracy and its respect for human dignity and freedom, I believe Czechia will continue to be one of Korea’s most important partners and help us to achieve sustainable and nuclear-free peace in the Korean Peninsula.
There will be ups and downs in the process of building sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula. It will be the one of the toughest task before us. However, we should try whatever we can to find a peaceful solution, with more positive conviction, to this daunting challenge of denuclearization. As Winston Churchill once said, “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
