July 1, 2019

U.S. President Donald Trump during his trip to South Korea on June 30 went to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea in Panmunjom and held his third talk with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Meeting in Panmunjom, the two leaders offered each other a friendly handshake after stepping across the border to each side. They, in their meeting at the Freedom House situated on the southern side of the DMZ, agreed to reopen denuclearization negotiations, the last of which was held in Hanoi in February.

Later on the same day, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo issued a statement regarding the third Trump-Kim summit meeting.

In the statement, Shii cited that Trump and Kim jointly announced that the two countries will hold working-level talks with the aim of reaching a comprehensive agreement on denuclearization. Shii welcomed this announcement as an important first step toward breaking the stalemate in U.S.-North Korea relations and implementing the Singapore agreement signed by Trump and Kim in June 2018. The bilateral pact seeks to achieve full denuclearization and the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula as well as the normalization of the U.S.-North Korea ties.

Shii then pointed to the fact that President Trump was the first sitting U.S. president to cross the border into North Korea.

Shii pointed out, “The Korean War armistice agreement was concluded 66 years ago, but the United States and North Korea are still at war in the eyes of international law. The heads of these two nations met face to face today at the place symbolizing antagonism and separation. This event bears signs of a major transition in the situation on the Korean Peninsula and of a move toward new U.S.-DPRK relations and thus has great historic significance.”

Noting that the heads of the U.S. and the two Koreas gathered together for the first time since the cease-fire agreement, Shii expressed his strong hope that today’s event at Panmunjom will contribute to adding momentum to the promotion of a peace-building process on the Korean Peninsula as well as in northeast Asia.

Past related articles:
> Shii expresses his hope for leaders of N. Korea and US to continue their dialogue [March 1, 2019]
> Current status of process for peaceful Korean Peninsula [August 15&16, 2018]