Wednesday, June 05, 2019

FM Spokesperson on Fate of DPRK-US Joint Statement
A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK released the following press statement on June 4:

The DPRK-US summit meeting and talks, which took place in Singapore in June last year for the first time in history, was a momentous occasion of great significance in promoting peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in the region and advancing the historic trend of reconciliation and cooperation.

The June 12 DPRK-US Joint Statement adopted at the summit meeting and talks enjoyed full support and approval of all countries and peoples across the world, as it proved in practice that even the countries that are on the worst terms each other could provide an avenue for establishing new relations once they make politically decisive steps to defend peace and stability, giving the top priority to these issues.

As is acknowledged by the international community at large, the government of the DPRK has exerted ceaseless efforts over the past one year to establish new DPRK-US relations, build a lasting and durable peace regime on the Korean peninsula and achieve the denuclearization of the peninsula, as has been stipulated in the joint statement, and made every possible endeavor of such as taking practical initiatives that require strategically decisive measures.

However, it is regrettable to see that the US has become ever more undisguised over the past one year in its scheme to stifle us by force while deliberately turning its face away from the implementation of the joint statement and only insisting on our unilateral surrender of nuclear weapons.

At the second DPRK-US summit talks held in Hanoi amid the great interest and expectation of the world, the US made the biggest blunder of having missed a lifetime opportunity by insisting on the "nuke abandonment first." This overshadowed the future of the DPRK-US dialogue.

Had the US done anything of a little help in addressing the issues on the basis of serious approach and sincere attitude for implementing the joint statement, the issue of denuclearization of the Korean peninsula might also have made much progress.

In his historic policy speech, Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK said that given the deep-rooted animosity between the DPRK and the United States, in order to implement the June 12 Joint Statement both sides should give up their unilateral terms and seek a constructive solution that meets each other’s interests. And he added that, to this end, it is needed above all for the US to approach us with a new way of calculation after putting aside the current one.

The June 12 DPRK-US Joint Statement is the commitment that the two countries have pledged to the world and humankind, and it is the task both sides should be jointly accountable for.

The DPRK remains unchanged in its stand and will to cherish and implement in good faith the June 12 DPRK-US Joint Statement personally signed by the top leaders of the two countries at the first-ever DPRK-US summit talks.

However, if the US, a dialogue partner, fails discharge its obligation and keeps resorting to anti-DPRK hostile policy, the fate of the joint statement will not be promising.

Whether the joint statement will remain effective or turn out to be a paper promise will now be determined by how the US would respond to our fair and reasonable stand.

With the first anniversary of the historic June 12 DPRK-US Joint Statement around the corner, the US should duly look back on the past one year and cogitate about which will be a correct strategic choice, though belatedly.

The US would be well-advised to change its current way of calculation and respond to our request as soon as possible.

There is a limit to our patience.

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