Negotiations between North Korea and the United States have started off with major concessions on the side of the Kim regime. Most recently, three Americans being detained in North Korean prison camps have been released and flown home to the United States. Chairman Kim Jung Un has recently announced that he will allow foreign media to watch and record the dismantlement of the nuclear site in which all six nuclear weapons were detonated. Of course, President Trump and United States officials understand that these concessions will have to be met with equal restitution on our side.
In exchange for nuclear disarmament, North Korea’s biggest bargaining chip, Kim demands three things: regime security, military withdrawal, and lifted sanctions. Because nuclear weapons are one of Kim’s greatest insurance policies, the leader demands that the United States will not interfere with the control of the communist government. The second demand is for the military withdrawal of all 28,000 U.S. troops from South Korea. And finally, the United States must end its harsh economic sanctions on the nation.
Trump’s largest task will be disarming the rogue regime. If the Administration can successfully guarantee the end of nuclear weapons and periodic inspections on nuclear facilities, then the largest political hurdle would be out of the way. As for the withdrawal of American troops, the soldiers can be relocated to Japanese bases, just a few hundred miles of the Korean coast. The South Korean military would also be heavily subsidized with American aid. Lastly, American sanctions can be lifted with a stroke of a pen and the nation can resume commercial interactions. Overall, if President Trump can work his magic as “the best negotiator,” the situation on the Korean Peninsula may appear vastly different in the following decade.
Logan Rex, Lima
