Two Koreas Sign Peace Agreement. UN Applauds
Following Friday’s summit between the leaders of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea) and the Republic of Korea, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other top officials expressed hope that the two countries would soon implement all agreed actions, including ridding the Peninsula of nuclear weapons.
“The Secretary-General applauds today’s truly historic summit,” said Mr. Guterres’ Spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, in a statement. “Many around the world were moved by the powerful imagery of the two leaders coming together to advance harmony and peace on the Korean Peninsula.”
According to the declaration signed by both leaders and released after the summit, the two nations agreed on a number of measures, including realizing the common goal of “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” and pursuing phased military arms reduction and talks to declare an official end to the Korean War, which devastated the Peninsula from 1950 to 1953.
An armistice brought about a ceasefire to the Korean War in 1953, but the conflict never officially ended because the parties could not agree to a formal peace treaty.
Also, Miroslav Lajčák, the President of the UN General Assembly welcomed the historic summit and recalled the spirit of collaboration that he saw at the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics, as demonstrated by the unified Korean team. “Today’s Summit is the continuation of a positive trend,” Lajčák said.
The Assembly President encouraged the two leaders to implement the agreed-upon measures to advance inter-Korean relations and ease military tensions. “It is in the interests of all Member States to work towards achieving peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary of the UN-partner Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), also applauded the commitment to “complete denuclearization” as pledged in the Panmunjom Declaration.
Courtesy: UN
