War to end, no more nukes! Prayer and tough diplomacy brings peace to Korea

North and South Korea have agreed to end their 68-year war with a peace agreement to be signed at an unspecified date in the near future. The decision follows much prayer around the world and tough diplomacy from the USA. 

Moon Jae-in has agreed with Kim Jong-un to end the Korean War after 68 years.

Highlights

By Marshall Connolly (Catholic Online)
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
4/27/2018 (6 years ago)

Published in Asia Pacific

Keywords: North Korea, President Trump, peace, Korean War, end, South Korea

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - From the brink of nuclear war to peace, the situation in Korea has miraculously reversed. The swift and stunning reversal, which seemed to begin just before the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, appears to be ending with a peace accord between the two states. North and South Korea have technically been at war for 68 years. 

President Moon Jaw-in of South Korea met personally with Kim Jong Un of North Korea in the truce town of Panmunjom on the 38th parallel. Both men crossed the border to meet briefly with reporters and to take photos. Both men signed a pledge to make a peace agreement. 

Photos show the two men in an embrace and holding hands as they walked together across the border. 

North and South Korea have maintained massive military forces in direct opposition to one another since the armistice that ended open hostilities in 1953. Since then, periodic incidents have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people on both sides. The two sides have maintained a high state of alert, ready to go to war on a moment's notice. South Korea has been supported by the United States which has also maintained a large garrison of forces on the peninsula and in the region. 

Over the past several years, North Korea has worked to develop a nuclear arsenal complete with ballistic missile capability. It is suspected they have developed, or are close to the development of an intercontinental ballistic missile that could deliver a nuclear payload to the Eastern U.S. 

To prevent this development, President Trump has adopted a hard-line stance against the North, deploying stealth bombers and fleets of ships to the region to stage shows of force. He has also pressured China and Russia to compel Kim Jong Un to stop development of his nuclear weapons program. Meanwhile, South Korea has adopted a pacifist approach, acting as the "good cop" to President Trump's "bad cop."

Globally, millions of people have prayed for peace as the situation on the peninsula grew worse. 

However, in September 2017, North Korea's secret tunnel complex where they tested nuclear weapons collapsed. It is believed that some personnel died in the collapse, but it is unclear if they were forced prison laborers, military personnel, or scientists. In any case, the complex became unusable. It is speculated that the loss of this complex is part of the North's motivation to seek peace. 

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President Trump's apparent willingness to use force, and the incredible capability of the U.S. military is also a likely influence. 

No date has been set for the signing of a formal peace agreement, and no details of such an agreement have been announced. A summit between President Trump and Kim Jong Un is scheduled to happen in May. 

Just before he was confirmed as Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo met with Kim Jong Un in person in early April. 

President Trump and his team say they remain committed to a complete denuclearization of the peninsula. North Korea has said they are also committed to this goal. But the North will want concessions in return, and it is unclear what they will ask for. 

North Korea could ask for anything from an end to the U.S. military presence on the peninsula to reunification. Or, they could simply ask for economic concessions, something the North needs after years of harsh sanctions.