The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact: Contact Paul Kawika Martin at 951-217-7285, or,email Paul,.,Contact Jon Rainwater at 510-469-3700, or,email Jon,.

Trump Has an Opportunity to Advance Lasting Peace on the Korean Peninsula

In response to South Korea's announcement at the White House that President Trump has accepted Kim Jong-un's invitation to meet in person, Kevin Martin, President of Peace Action and convener of the Korean Peace Network, released the following statement:

WASHINGTON

In response to South Korea's announcement at the White House that President Trump has accepted Kim Jong-un's invitation to meet in person, Kevin Martin, President of Peace Action and convener of the Korean Peace Network, released the following statement:

"Kim Jong-un reiterating his country's commitments not to test nuclear weapons or ballistic missiles during ongoing diplomacy is excellent news, as is President Trump accepting Kim's invitation to meet in person for the first time. North Korea is putting virtually all topics of concerns on the table. Trump now has the opportunity to achieve what no president has been able to achieve in seven decades of U.S.-North Korea relations, make real strides towards lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

"That said, President Trump's expressed desire for praise is telling. If claiming credit for this diplomatic opening is what Trump needs to do to get behind a strategy of 'maximum engagement,' so be it. But let the record show, it wasn't Trump's bluster or the 'maximum pressure' campaign that brought North Korea to the negotiating table, it was President Moon's willingness to engage without preconditions that made this diplomatic breakthrough possible."

Peace Action is the United States' largest peace and disarmament organization with over 100,000 members and nearly 100 chapters in 34 states, works to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons, promote government spending priorities that support human needs and encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights.