The denuclearization agreement signed by Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12 has provoked wildly varying responses from progressive analysts around the world. Antiwar activists such as Christine Ahn are hailing the suspension of the joint US-South Korean military exercises as an important step toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, while anti-nuclear activists such as Rebecca Johnson caution that “peace and nuclear disarmament are not going to happen if North Koreans feel under constant threat from US nuclear weapons, as is the case at present.”

Although skepticism toward the deal, which is short on specifics, is not unwarranted, it is important to acknowledge the significance of this moment as a potential starting point for sustained negotiations. The Singapore summit represented a critical first step toward finally ending the 68-year-old conflict that has torn apart a nation and isolated North Korea from much of the world. Ahead of the summit, Korean Americans were joined by 153 organizations across the United States and around the world, and released a joint statement calling for a formal end to the Korean War and urging Washington’s political leaders to set aside partisan differences and party politics for peace.

The main takeaway from the agreement was a commitment to create a “lasting and robust peace regime” on the Korean Peninsula and support the Panmunjom Declaration for Peace. The agreement omitted mention of “complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement” (CVID) of North Korea’s nuclear program, which had been a US precondition in past negotiations, and included cooperative trust-building actions such as plans for both nations to repatriate the remains of US servicemen in North Korea. President Trump’s decision to suspend the joint military exercises on the peninsula is an additional and significant confidence-building measure that many say will further boost the delicate negotiation process.

 

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