Monday, February 11, 2019

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: President Moon expresses high hopes for Kim-Trump summit



Speaking to his secretaries and aides during a weekly meeting-- the South Korean President said the second round of Kim-Trump summit will be a major turning point in pursuing complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and establishing peace in the region.

He said the second Kim-Trump summit will open doors for the separated Koreas to upgrade their level of ties.

Moon also emphasized the government will continue to do its utmost to keep dialogue going between Seoul, Pyeongyang and Washington.


With the second North Korea-U.S. summit slated for February 27th and 28 in Hanoi, the two sides are working toward reaching a deal on denuclearization.

North Korea and the U.S. are searching for a balance between what Pyeongyang should do to fulfill its commitments toward denuclearization, and what Washington should offer in return.

Meanwhile, Vietnam's top diplomat is expected to arrive in North Korea on February 12 for a three-day visit.

In a tweet on Monday, the Vietnamese foreign ministry announced that Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh's visit comes at the invitation of his North Korean counterpart Ri Yong-ho.

Details of the meeting between the two top diplomats have not been disclosed, but speculations are that they will likely discuss details regarding the upcoming summit between Pyeongyang and Washington.


Under this year's Special Measures Agreement, or SMA, Seoul's financial contribution for some 28-thousand U.S. forces stationed on the Korean Peninsula will be around 9-hundred-24-million U.S. dollars.

Last year, South Korea contributed around 850 million U.S. dollars.

More than 46 percent of the money was spent on military construction, followed by nearly 40 percent on the salaries of South Korean employees, and lastly, 15 percent on military logistics support.
Local military experts say they think the proportion of each budget item won't change much from last year.

Both sides have agreed to set up a regular consultation they're calling a "working group" in which they'll discuss ways to improve their cost sharing.

Source: Arirang News

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