Pyongyang Press Corps Pool via AP. At yesterday's summit meeting in Pyongyang between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the defense ministers of the two countries signed an important agreement to reduce military tensions along the two sides' heavily militarized border.
The North and South also agreed to dismantle several of the heavily armed guard posts they have each constructed inside the DMZ and to create a maritime peace zone in the West Sea.
A "Bolt out of the blue" North Korean nuclear attack on the United States, which would be suicidal for the Kim dynasty and his country, has always been a fantastical scenario.
The most likely trigger for any large-scale conventional conflict between North Korea and US/ROK forces has always been a local incident or accident that escalates out of control.
Further mitigating these risks, which reflects the shared commitment of both leaders to completely remove the threat of armed conflict and the fear of war from the Korean Peninsula, should continue to be a high priority for North and South Korea as well as for the United States.
It is hard to visualize a sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula that does not reduce the North's conventional military threat to South Korea or include new mechanisms to deter and manage crises and prevent or control escalation of a conflict.
As the mutual mistrust melts and both countries create a successful track record on implementation, they should consider a more robust CBM agenda consisting of: 1) more aggressive measures to eliminate the NLL as a flashpoint for North-South conflict; 2) greater transparency and information sharing on military plans, programs, and operations; and 3) constraints on military movements and activities to reduce the risk of a North Korean surprise attack.
https://www.realclearworld.com/articles/2018/09/19/north_and_south_korea_take_important_steps_to_demilitarize_the_korean_peninsula_112880.html
The North and South also agreed to dismantle several of the heavily armed guard posts they have each constructed inside the DMZ and to create a maritime peace zone in the West Sea.
A "Bolt out of the blue" North Korean nuclear attack on the United States, which would be suicidal for the Kim dynasty and his country, has always been a fantastical scenario.
The most likely trigger for any large-scale conventional conflict between North Korea and US/ROK forces has always been a local incident or accident that escalates out of control.
Further mitigating these risks, which reflects the shared commitment of both leaders to completely remove the threat of armed conflict and the fear of war from the Korean Peninsula, should continue to be a high priority for North and South Korea as well as for the United States.
It is hard to visualize a sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula that does not reduce the North's conventional military threat to South Korea or include new mechanisms to deter and manage crises and prevent or control escalation of a conflict.
As the mutual mistrust melts and both countries create a successful track record on implementation, they should consider a more robust CBM agenda consisting of: 1) more aggressive measures to eliminate the NLL as a flashpoint for North-South conflict; 2) greater transparency and information sharing on military plans, programs, and operations; and 3) constraints on military movements and activities to reduce the risk of a North Korean surprise attack.
https://www.realclearworld.com/articles/2018/09/19/north_and_south_korea_take_important_steps_to_demilitarize_the_korean_peninsula_112880.html
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