Korean summit a 'positive step', but obstacles lie ahead, says PM Lee
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un walk together at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, South Korea.
SINGAPORE — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Saturday (April 28) hailed the historic summit between the leaders of North and South Korea as a "positive step", but noted that there is long and challenging road ahead to achieve a complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.
His comments came a day after the summit held between North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un and South Korea's President Moon Jae-in, with both sides pledging to remove all nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula and to work with the United States and China to declare an official end to the Korean War that took place in the 1950s.
On top of that, Mr Kim is expected to meet US President Donald Trump in the months of May or June, in what will be the first such meeting between sitting leaders of both countries.
Speaking at a press conference at the close of the two-day Asean Summit which Singapore is chairing, Mr Lee pointed out that the issue of North Korea's nuclear weapons has a "very long history" and a "very long record" of discussions and agreements that are not fulfilled.
"And so, a cycle of tensions and mistrusts, which have built up over a long period of time. And there's a very deep concern on each side that the other side does not mean it well," he added.
To overcome that, there is a need to take "the first step", but Mr Lee pointed out that it is merely the "first of many" and that the subsequent steps "will not be easy".
"It's not just a matter of trust, it's a matter of decisions which have to be made, and commitments which have to be undertaken, which are not at all straightforward – either to commit or to deliver upon," he said.
Given that the thorny issue involved many parties "whose interests are not completely aligned", Mr Lee raised various points that have to be ironed out: "Everybody says they would like to see complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearisation. What does that mean? What are the conditions? How do we verify? How to enforce it?"
He added that parties on the table should also consider the possibility of a breach in any agreements made, and what they would do if such a situation takes place.
"There are many difficult issues to be dealt with along the way, even assuming best of faiths on both sides," said Mr Lee.
"So, it's a positive step. It's better than firing missiles and testing bombs. But how does it go? That's something that we will wait and see and which we can only hope for the best."
When asked what Asean could do to push for the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, Mr Lee pointed out that the regional grouping has "no levers" to do so.
It can only comply with the resolutions passed by the United Nations Security Council, ensure sanctions imposed on North Korean are enforced and complied with, and make its voice heard in the international discourse to "add moral pressure".
"Beyond that, our leverage is limited. The first thing we need to understand is that's the reality. And given that reality, we state our position but we have to accept that the situation will evolve the way the major participants push their developments," said Mr Lee.
In his opening remarks during the press conference, Mr Lee noted that Asean leaders have also expressed their support for international efforts to "secure the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula in a peaceful manner".
Asean also welcomed news of the inter-Korean summit, as well as the proposed meeting between the US and North Korea, said the Asean Chairman statement issued on Saturday.
The Asean leaders also welcomed efforts by all parties involved to "reduce tensions and work towards a peaceful resolution of the situation on the Korean Peninsula."
Ahead of Mr Trump and Mr Kim's meeting, speculation has been rife that Singapore and Mongolia are possible locations for the summit.
Singapore has facilitated historic meetings before, including the 2015 summit between China's President Xi Jinping and Taiwan's leader Ma Ying-jeou.
Asked whether Singapore could be a venue for the US-North Korea meeting, Mr Lee said that "we have had no formal invitation requests from any of the parties".
He added: "It has to be something that's agreed by both North Korea as well as the United States. I doubt very much they have come to any landing yet."
