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Report: North Korea Balks, Has Strict Demands If Trump Expects Denuclearization

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Pyongyang apparently has a big demand if the United States wants to keep talking about North Korea’s nuclear arsenal.

North Korea expects the U.S. to make a “bold move” and sign a peace treaty officially ending the Korean War before denuclearization talks can continue, a source with close knowledge of North Korea’s position on this matter told CNN.

The possibility of a permanent peace mechanism to finally end the war was included in both the Panmunjom Declaration signed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in the inter-Korean summit and the agreement signed by Kim and President Donald Trump in Singapore.

“The United States and DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula,” the Singapore agreement read, using the initials for North Korea’s official name of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

A binding treaty to end the Korean War, which was resolved with an armistice agreement, would likely require extensive negotiations with multiple countries that were involved in the fighting.

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It would also require the approval of two-thirds of the U.S. Senate.

North Korea reportedly believes it has made sufficient concessions — namely its freeze on weapons testing, the destruction of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, and the imminent return of the remains of U.S. war dead — to warrant the start of talks on a peace treaty. It is now balking at going further without steps from the U.S.

After a problematic meeting in Pyongyang involving Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a team of North Korean officials, the North criticized the U.S. for making unilateral demands of North Korea while ignoring Pyongyang’s expectations, with a peace treaty being high on the country’s list of demands.

“The U.S. side never mentioned the issue of establishing a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula which is essential for defusing tension and preventing a war,” the North Korean foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency in early July.

Is there a serious chance for a firm peace between the U.S. and North Korea?

“Announcing the declaration of the end of war at an early date is the first process of defusing tension and establishing a lasting peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, and, at the same time, it constitutes a first factor in creating trust between the DPRK and the U.S.,” the statement said.

North Korea is also pressing South Korea on its commitments to end the Korean War.

“Given that the South Korean government also has an obligation to carry out what was agreed upon in the Panmunjom Declaration, it should not sit idle on the issue of declaring an end to the war,” Uriminzokkiri, the North’s external propaganda website, argued Monday.

“It is a historic task that cannot be delayed anymore to build solid peace regime by ending the current abnormal state of armistice on the Korean Peninsula,” the statement explained, paraphrasing the landmark Panmunjom Declaration signed in April.

After talks between the U.S. and North Korea hit a speed bump earlier this month, the North Korean foreign ministry signaled that it may halt negotiations pertaining to its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development programs.

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“We may be shaken in our unshakable will for denuclearization,” Pyongyang said in its critical statement.

A version of this article appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website. Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

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Founded by Tucker Carlson, a 25-year veteran of print and broadcast media, and Neil Patel, former chief policy adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney, The Daily Caller News Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit providing original investigative reporting from a team of professional reporters that operates for the public benefit. Photo credit: @DailyCaller on Twitter




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