종전선언에서 평화협정까지, 핵심은 비핵화

i Speaking of a peace treaty, it was the inter-Korean summit a week ago that really raised hopes of that becoming a reality.
But it's not something the Koreas can do on their own, since there were other parties to the conflict -- the China question being a prime example.
As our Kim Mok-yeon explains, a formal peace isn't as simple as it might first look.
At the 2018 inter-Korean summit last month, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un declared to the world that there will be no more war on the Korean Peninsula, reaffirming their willingness to head towards a new era of peace.
In the Panmunjom declaration, the two leaders vowed to officially declare the end of the Korean War by the end of this year and work to replace the current 65-year-long armistice with a peace treaty.
However, this needs not just the approval of the two Koreas, but also of the other parties involved in the original armistice agreement.

In 1953, the Korean War had been temporarily halted with an armistice agreement, which was signed by representatives from the U.S.-led United Nations command, North Korea and China. But it wasn't signed by a representative from South Korea, as then-President Rhee Syng-man opposed the idea.

As so, the two Koreas need the approval of the other two signatories in order to sign a peace treaty which signals the beginning of exchanges and cooperation in various sectors.

Many experts expect the process to first begin with a declaration of the end of the war between the two Koreas, which will be followed by the participation of the U.S., and finally the signing of the peace treaty together with the U.S. and China.

With a long journey awaiting the two neighbors, it seems like the key to achieving prosperity and peace on the peninsula will depend on how the signatories judge the North Korean leader's words, especially on his willingness to denuclearize.

"The most important thing is North Korea's willingness to denuclearize. If North Korea has decided to give up its nuclear power, the upcoming talks between Kim Jong-un and President Trump will be successful, which will directly lead to a declaration that ends the war."

If the treaty gets signed, there could be drastic changes on the Korean peninsula, ranging from North Korea's arms control to its expansion of diplomatic relations with other nations.

"The current compulsory military service we have in South Korea could be changed to voluntary service. The fundamental security structure of Seoul-Washington-Tokyo versus Pyongyang-Beijing-Moscow will also change. Basically, a new security order will be formed in Northeast Asia."

Kim Mok-yeon, Arirang News.