TOKYO (AP) With their second summit fast approaching, speculation is growing that U.S. President Donald Trump may try to persuade North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to commit to denuclearization by giving him something he wants more than almost anything else: an announcement of peace and an end to the Korean War.
Such an announcement could make history. It would be right in line with Trumps opposition to forever wars. And, coming more than six decades after the fighting essentially ended, it just seems like common sense.
But, if not done carefully, it could open up a whole new set of problems for Washington.
Heres why switching the focus of the ongoing talks between Pyongyang and Washington from denuclearization to peace would be a risky move and why it might be exactly what Kim wants when the two leaders meet in Hanoi on Feb. 27-28.
THE STANDOFF
The Korean Peninsula was divided at the 38th parallel after World War II, with. the U.S. claiming a zone of influence in the south and the Soviet Union in the north. Within five years, the two Koreas were at war.
Though the shooting stopped in 1953, the conflict ended with an armistice, essentially a cease-fire signed by North Korea, China and the 17-nation, U.S.-led United Nations Command that was supposed to be replaced by a formal peace treaty. But both sides instead settled ever deeper into Cold War hostilities marked by occasional outbreaks of violence.
The conflict in Korea is technically Americas longest war.
North Korea, which saw all of its major cities and most of its infrastructure destroyed by U.S. bombers during the war, blames what it sees as Washingtons unrelenting hostility over the past 70 years as ample justification for its nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. It claims they are purely for self-defense.
The U.S., on the other hand, maintains a heavy military presence in South Korea to counter what it says is the Norths intention to invade and assimilate the South. It has also implemented a long-standing policy of ostracizing the North and backing economic sanctions.
Trump escalated the effort to squeeze the North with a maximum pressure strategy that remains in force.
A combination of that strategy and the Norths repeated tests of missiles believed capable of delivering its nuclear weapons to the U.S. mainland are what brought the two countries to the negotiating table.
WHY KIM WANTS A TREATY
Getting a formal peace treaty has been high on the wish list of every North Korean leader, starting with Kim Jong Uns grandfather, Kim Il Sung.
A peace treaty would bring international recognition, probably at least some easing of trade sanctions, and a likely reduction in the number of U.S. troops south of the Demilitarized Zone.
If done right, it would be a huge boost to Kims reputation at home and abroad. And, of course, to the cause of peace on the Korean Peninsula at a time when Pyongyang says it is trying to shift scarce resources away from defense so that it can boost its standard of living and modernize its economy with a greater emphasis on science and technology.
Washington has a lot to gain, too.
Trump has said he would welcome a North Korea that is more focused on trade and economic growth. Stability on the peninsula is good for South Koreas economy and probably for Japans as well.
