Two Koreas seek deal for formal end to Korean War

Reuters via Yahoo! ^ | 10/4/2007 | Jessica Kim

[InShanghai]

SEOUL (Reuters) - The leaders of North and South Korea pledged on Thursday to bring peace to the Cold War's last frontier by seeking talks with China and the United States to formally end the 1950-1953 Korean War.

The agreement came at the end of only the second summit between the divided Koreas whose war ended with an armistice not a peace treaty.

"North and South Korea shared the view they must end the current armistice and build a permanent peace regime," South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il said in a joint statement at the end of their three-day meeting in Pyongyang.

The agreement also called for setting up the first regular freight train service since the war, meetings of ministers and defense officials as well as establishing a cooperation zone around a contested sea border on the west of the peninsula.

The armistice that concluded their fratricidal battle was signed by China, North Korea and U.S.-led United Nations forces, but not by South Korea.

U.S. President George W. Bush has said he can discuss a peace treaty once the North scraps its nuclear weapons program.

Giving a lift to the talks, China announced late on Wednesday that North Korea had agreed with regional powers to disable its nuclear facilities -- a source of atomic weapons material -- by the end of the year, a major step in normalizing relations with the outside world.

The two agreed to work together to implement that pact.

Roh will return to South Korea by road later in the day.

(With additional reporting by Jack Kim)

[InShanghai]

I wonder how Kim Jong-il will be melded into one Korea?

[Spktyr]

Translation: China has cut Kimmy off, so now Kimmy needs a new source of supply.

[InShanghai]

Thought you might be interested in this...

[Cobra64]

Maybe Kimmy is tired of being in the dark.

[BIGLOOK]

Incredible ping......

Haven't heard from Little Kim in a while so.......

[InShanghai]

I think “Kimmy” has finally caved in to the wave of change that’s happening in Asia. All those visits to China has shown what “opening up” and letting market driven economics take over has done for the Chinese elites. IMO, it seems he wants a piece of that action.

[InShanghai]

A picture that is worth a thousand words for sure!

[Dumpster Baby]

North Korea must be an astronomer’s paradise - no light pollution!

[TigerLikesRooster]

Bump.

[bruinbirdman]

"now Kimmy needs a new source of supply. "

Kimmy Kommie is getting 50,000 tons of oil, gratis. That's tons not barrels.

Who paid for it? Did Kommie get it up front before inspections? Klinton fell for that trick a long time ago.

yitbos

[Berlin_Freeper]

He is getting paranoid against his inner circle of freaks to the point that he don’t know who he should have kill who anymore.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Buried in provisions of the agreement is the pledge that either side will not meddle in the internal affairs of the other. This effectively block any chance of raising N. Korean human right problems by S. Korean government. This is a worrisome development.

[Spktyr]

He’s getting oil, but nothing else. He pissed off the Chinese, his main supplier, by not returning the last dozen or so supply trains they sent him - so they won’t be sending him anything else.

[InShanghai]

Buried in provisions of the agreement is the pledge that either side will not meddle in the internal affairs of the other.

If this is correct, then worrisome indeed!

However this may be a crack in the door that's needed to effect change. Is it possible that Kim has taken a different path?

[Luke Skyfreeper]

The agreement also called for setting up the first regular freight train service since the war

When you so ronery that China not send you any more trains, find yourself new sucker to send you trains.

[davidosborne]

Bump for index

[The KG9 Kid]

If the Koreas sign an agreement, we'll be compelled to bring the troops home.

I'm fine with that.

We ought to let South Korea know we're not obligated to send troops back if they ending up falling for a dirty Commie trick.

... and don't be thinking you're coming here en masse in a boatlift if the Korean peninsula plunges into chaos and warfare.

Sure, sign a 'peace agreement' with those psychos. Whatever happens to you, happens to you.

[Tolsti]

I hope in his old age and lack of good heir that he’ll decide this has been a mess and do the right thing.

One can hope.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Not really.

[neb52]

I think Der Leader knows his time on earth is short. I can’t think of anything else that would cause this change. Kind like the day Castro finally kicks the bucket.

[George W. Bush]

The nuke program should be dismantled and the North should be required to withdraw its artillery to the north and stop threatening Seoul with it.

Your intent is not peaceful if you're aiming massive artillery at the "enemy" capitol.

Otherwise, it is time to finally resolve the Korean partition peacefully. When Kim passes, the country can reunite as a peaceful and prosperous democracy.

[AmericanInTokyo]

But if we still have tens of thousands of US troops here in Japan, and DPRK were to cross into ROK and take it by onslaught, I don't see how the US would let Kim Jong il's troops come that far to US troops with total inpunity.

Despite having to essentially bail out a hopeless socialist government that has spat in our faces, we would still go back in -- at great cost.

[reagan_fanatic]

North Korea must be an astronomer’s paradise - no light pollution!

Do they have astronomers in North Korea, or do they throw them in prison too?

[wastedyears]

What does that map show, Cobra?

[Cobra64]

What does that map show, Cobra?

Satellite view of North and South Korea at night.

[GATOR NAVY]

Always an amazing photo.

BTW, I have some pretty hair-raising memories of driving ships through those squid fishing fleets you can see offshore.