Thread by @SungYoonLee1

On the genesis of "denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," a loaded term coined by #KimIlSung (조선반도의 비핵화) in 1975, how we have come to love Big Brother & what it means, & why @POTUS admin is right to say "denuclearization of North Korea." @Mister_G_2 @freekorea_us 1/

At their meeting on April 18, 1975, Mao rejected Kim 's request for help building the bomb. Thereafter, Kim came up with the idea of calling for withdrawal of US nuclear warheads from SK while calling for a “Korean Peninsula Nuclear-Free Zone.” (Thae Yong Ho, 2018 Memoir, 44). 2/

In 1980 Kim announced with Japan Socialist Party in a joint statement “Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” (Thae, 45). In 1985 Kim announced “Korean Peninsula Nuclear-Free Peace Zone” and joined the IAEA, while pursuing the nuclearization of the DPRK. 3/

By 1990s, these phrases became routinized. Japan also sought to have a say in bringing about a "Korean Peninsula Nuclear-Free Zone" and sought talks with NK. NK insisted withdrawal of all US tactical nuclear weapons from SK as the condition for "DOTKP." tinyurl.com/2km657hm 4/

As @Joshua_Pollack notes, NK & SK signed a Joint Declaration of DOTKP, which took effect in Feb 1992. All US nukes were withdrawn from SK in 1991. Meanwhile, NK pressed ahead. For SK to concede DOTKP in talks with NK in 1991-92 was reasonable. But, 5/
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for the US repeatedly to make this concession from 1994 to 2020 in written statements, UNSCRs, and agreements with NK was...imprudent. The US, with SK's prodding, continued to make unforced errors. DOTKP pops up in the 1994 Agreed Framework. tinyurl.com/28y7cxfb 6/

Strangely, 11 years later, in 2005, after NK declared itself a nuclear weapons state on Feb 10 that year & after all that was known of NK's HEU program, restart of Yonbyon upon 2003 withdrawal from NPT, the US & SK conceded once again in the Sept 19, 2005 6PT Joint Statement. 7/

To enshrine DOTKP in 6PT was a serious tactical error when NK was rushing toward its 1st nuclear test. At least the joint statement contained the explicit phrase: "The DPRK committed to abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs." tinyurl.com/3rjb3nse 8/

However, following NK's first nuclear test on Oct 9, 2006, 15 years after the removal of all US nukes from SK, every UNSC Resolutions banning *North Korea's* nuclear and missile test/dev't curiously adopted this DPRK stock phrase, "denuclearization of the Korean peninsula." 9/

Through the 6 Party Talks, Kim Jong Il bought time to build more bombs & missiles. Still, the US, SK & JPN agreed to DOTKP in the 02/13/2007 joint statement Again, this favored DPRK phrase is featured in every UNSCR since Res 1718 in 2006 (Para 13) tinyurl.com/4vhpwmm4 10/

See Paragraph 30 in UNSCR 1874, passed in the aftermath of NK's 2nd nuclear test on May 25, 2009, US Memorial Day. It's in the tougher UNSC resolutions 2016-2017, starting with Res 2270 of Mar 2016 (Para 50) and
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tinyurl.com/9rsr39r 11/

the latest, Res 2397, of Dec 2017 (Para 26), passed in the wake of NK's 3rd ICBM test in Nov.

On 12/20/2018, lest the US firm up and start calling for "denuclearization of North Korea," #KCNA clarified what it meant by DOTKP. Yes, mutual disarmament. tinyurl.com/h3j5nps /12

The world's been played by 3 generations of NK leaders. When Kim 2 said, "DOTKP was my father's dying wish," or Kim 3 says, "I want my children to live in a nuclear-free Korean peninsula," they mean one thing: SK bereft of nukes, US nuclear assets, USFK, & alliance w US. 13/

For Biden to insist on denuke of "NK" will displease NK. It may impede/prevent talks. But it doesn't give NK a free pass to forge ahead while US pretends DOTKP is taking place. Consider the costs, risks & greater probability of war in agreeing to DOTKP, the end state of which 14/

is to leave SK vulnerable to a nuclear NK, and a giant leap toward NK at last fulfilling what the founder sought in June 1950--completion of the "supreme national task" of liberating SK and establishing a United #DPRK.

Or, SK, feeling existential crisis, can go nuclear. 15/15

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