South Korean Unification Minister Marks Progress In Easing Tensions After Moon-Kim Summit

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th September, 2019) South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul marked on Thursday the de-escalation of military tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang since the last year's summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"Military tensions on the Korean Peninsula have decreased significantly thanks to the concrete implementations [of agreements] and peace that our people can actually feel have been realized," the minister said, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.

Kim stressed that the chances of accidental clashes between Seoul and Pyongyang had significantly decreased since last year.

The minister pointed out the importance of further negotiations between North Korea and the United States for ensuring denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"Since it is all about overcoming a wall of age-old distrust and confrontation, there would be a tough road lying ahead .

.. Only when productive and reasonable negotiations take place based on sufficient trust between the North and the US can the North make a significant step toward denuclearization," the minister noted.

The situation on the Korean Peninsula significantly improved last year after North Korean leader Kim's talks with Moon and US President Donald Trump. In June 2018, Kim and Trump reached an agreement, stipulating that North Korea would make efforts to promote complete denuclearization of the peninsula in exchange for US-South Korean military drills' freeze and potential removal of the US sanctions.

However, the negotiating process has stalled this year, with the tensions having escalated after Pyongyang's recent missile tests.