Rare opportunity for peace

The sudden announcement of North Korean President Kim Jong-un that his country will immediately suspend all missile and nuclear tests and scrap its nuclear testing facility is certainly a breakthrough in a conflict that had threatened to explode into a nuclear war between Washington and Pyongyang.

The breakthrough came on the heels of the secret visit of US Secretary of State designate Mike Pompeo to Pyongyang, where he held secret talks with the North Korean leader. This positive development would set the stage for the projected summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in the upcoming few months, if not weeks.

There are those sceptics who still question the sincerity of the North Korean leader and cast doubt on the willingness of the country to abide by any accord that could be struck in the Trump-Kim summit.

These voices should be silenced, because they seek to nip in the bud any attempt to diffuse the conflict between North Korea, and the world and would rather maintain their finger on the trigger rather than relax it by giving peace a chance.

Kim’s offer should be taken as bona fide. He already admitted that one of the reasons for taking this new posture is because his country no longer needs additional tests on neither long-range missiles nor nuclear bombs. This stance is borne out by the just-completed nuclear and missile tests that Pyongyang had conducted. These tests were conclusive and complete.

Even more important is the pressing economic difficulties facing North Korea. The North Korean leader conceded that he wants to divert resources to economic development, which his people urgently need. This makes sense, and the international  community, especially the sceptics, must take Kim's words on this issue because they make sense and offer a rare opportunity for peace in the Korean Peninsula.