The Korean peninsula has been volatile and witness to unrest in the recent years. Conclusion of Korean peace treaty and denuclearisation of the peninsula continues to face roadblocks despite several agreements post 1953 Armistice agreement.
Why is it in the news?
North Korea has claimed that it would cut off all communication lines with South Korea, including military hotlines, and vowed to reverse the recent détente on the Korean Peninsula and start treating the South as an enemy.
- It was a sharp reversal from two years ago, when a rare inter-Korean rapprochement culminated in South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, visiting Pyongyang, became the first South Korean leader to address a large North Korean crowd.
- Inter-Korean relations have rapidly deteriorated since Kim Jong-un’s second summit meeting with President Trump, held in Vietnam in February of last year, ended without agreement on dismantling North Korea’s nuclear weapons program or easing United Nations sanctions on the country.
- Further, recent events may have been a result of North Korea’s frustrations at South Korea’s inability to revive, under US pressure, inter-Korean economic projects that had been beneficial to Pyongyang.
Panmunjom Declaration
- The Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Reunification of the Korean Peninsula was adopted between the leaders of North Korea and South Korea during the 2018 inter-Korean Summit.
- Both countries agreed to cooperate on officially ending the Korean War and the Korean conflict, beginning a new era of peace through national reconciliation, reunification and prosperity and improvements to inter-Korean communication and relations.
Source: The Hindu, Indian Express
