hankyoreh

Daryl Kimball

Daryl Kimball, Executive Director of the United States Arms Control Association (ACA), non-profit organization dedicated to effective arms control measures, met with the Hankyoreh in Washington, D.C. on Apr. 27 to discuss necessary steps for both solidifying the results of the inter-Korean summit and ensuring the success of the upcoming North Korea-US summit. Kimball says that if the goal is an acceleration of North Korea’s denuclearization process, then there is a concurrent need to “accelerate the steps that North Korea believes it needs.” Founded in 1971, the ACA is a think bank based in Washington, D.C., that focuses on arms control measure and nuclear non-proliferation.

Hani: What was your impression of yesterday’s Panmunjom Declaration?

Daryl Kimball (Kimball): Well, the summit was a great success. It was beautifully choreographed. There was clearly a good spirit between Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un. I think this sets the stage for progress that the Panmunjeom Declaration had some real substance in it. There’s some tangible confidence building steps between the North and South that can be taken in the next few weeks and months. I thought it was very significant that Moon Jae-in pledged to visit Pyongyang in the fall. Apparently, they can build the roads to get him there. I think Kim Jong-un was joking about the conditions of the roads.

Clearly, the statement outlined that there would be efforts made to pursue phased denuclearization and the realization of a peace regime on the Peninsula. But, it did not provide specifics. That’s not surprising because it was a challenge first of all for the South Korean side to put denuclearization on the agenda. That was not a given, so that was a diplomatic success for Moon Jae-in. And because those are the tough issues that Kim Jong-un is going to have to negotiate over the next months and perhaps years with Donald Trump. So this sets up Donald Trump for success.

But, as I’ve said elsewhere and in our journal, Arms Control Today, the key now is follow-through. The key is persistence, patience, some flexibility, sticking to principles, and it’s yet to be seen whether Donald Trump has that patience and persistence. We know the North Koreans do. This is going to take a long time.

The other emotion I feel is that it’s a bit surreal. Just five months ago, before the Olympics, we were talking about the possibility of war on the Korean Peninsula. There were reports of the United States considering a massive, preventive attack on the North. The North was making threatening statements and conducted a two-hundred kiloton nuclear test explosion. So, the contrast between 2017 and 2018 is hard to fathom. It’s hard to believe. So I think a lot of this credit should go to Moon Jae-in who exploited the very small opening in the New Year’s Day address by Kim Jong-un, and the Olympics, into this very important historic opportunity to bridge the divide and to heal the wounds that have been there for so long.

Hani: Some may criticize the summit because there weren’t specific actions regarding denuclearization outlined in the Joint Statement. Can the Panmunjeom Declaration be the stepping stone for the upcoming North Korea-US summit?

Kimball: Yes. First of all, Kim Jong-un’s offer of meeting with Donald Trump and his pledge to stop ballistic missile testing and nuclear testing. That was important. He reiterated that on April 20, but that is not the end of the road. That’s the initial step in the right direction. And so the challenge now is to solidify those pledges, and to expand the scope of denuclearization steps. We need to stop North Korea’s production of plutonium and highly enriched uranium, which can allow them to build even more nuclear devices.

But to those who dismiss the summit or the actions taken thus far as not being meaningful, I would disagree with that because you simply cannot go from where we were last year to complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization in five months and in one summit meeting. This is a process. I think we need to recognize that tremendous progress has been achieved, but much more still needs to be done. Hard work lies ahead.

Hani: What is the meaning of complete denuclearization in the 1992 Joint Declaration of the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula? What do you say to people who claim that the meaning of denuclearization is different between United States and North Korea?

Kimball: We have to remember the concept, the term and the phrase “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” derives from the 1992 joint declaration. At the time, it meant ensuring that there were no US-deployed tactical nuclear weapons on the Peninsula [as] there once were, and to ensure that North Korea did not ever develop nuclear weapons. So, it’s a term that comes from an earlier era. But it still has pretty clear meaning today. It means no nuclear weapons, no nuclear weapons production capabilities on the Korean Peninsula.

I think it’s important to understand that there will be different interpretations about that. The North Koreans will try to define it a little bit differently to their advantage, and we need to pay attention. But this is what will be negotiated over time. This is what has to be worked out. And what’s just as important as defining the term is identifying the process for effectuating that goal. What steps does the North take? What steps do the Republic of Korea, the United States, China, Japan, or other allies take in return for the steps that North Korea must take?