Gwan’s statement
Kim generally praised Trump in his statement. He called Trump bold and wise. Gwan also complained in his statement carried by KCNA the official North Korean news wire that the US had done nothing to implement the joint statement from the first US-North Korea summit held in Singapore last year.
The full text of the joint declaration was reported by Al Jazeera last June: “1)The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity. 2) The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. 3)Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. 4)The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.”
Criticism of joint military drills
Gwan also criticized the US for holding joint military drills with South Korea. The North has long considered these exercises as rehearsals for an invasion of the North. The exercises have been going on for some time. Trump suspended them last June but they resumed on a reduced scale last November: “Since 2001, Foal Eagle combined with the annual American-South Korean Reception, Staging, Onward movement, and Integration (RSOI) combined exercises, with RSOI being renamed Key Resolve in 2008.[3][4] On June 12, 2018, US President Donald Trump announced that the US would suspend the joint military exercises with South Korea.[5] However, the joint military exercises resumed again on November 5, 2018, though at a small scale.”
The US focus on sanctions and full denuclearization
While Kim generally praised Trump in the statement, he also said the US has remained “obsessed” with sanctions and full denuclearization and was unwilling to make sincere efforts to build trust. The North has complained that they have made moves to boost confidence while the US retains and even increases sanctions and threats. It demands full denuclearization before any sanctions will be lifted. On the other hand, the North expects a gradual step by step process.
Gwan finished off his statement by encouraging Trump to make a bold decision to try to ease tensions and to build on the agreements reached at past summits. After a failed summit in Hanoi on February 27-28 the two leaders met in June as reported on the appended video.
