1) Breaking: 2 Koreas 5 pt agreement: 1. inter-Korean summit end of April at Panmunjeom, 2. establish hotline between Moon-Kim to reduce tensions & consult, 3. NK has will to denuclearize, no reason to have nukes if security guaranteed, willing to have frank talks with US...
2) 4. During US-NK talks, NK won't conduct missile/nuke tests, 5. NK agrees not to use nuclear or conventional weapons against South.
3) Blue House is briefing reporters off-camera and on background now. This additional news seems to be coming from it: Kim Jong Un understands US-ROK joint military exercises will resume in April at its original level, says Yonhap.
4) Agreement shows more focus on inter-Korean relations. Ball now in Washington's court. Points #3 & #4 reiterate NK's position in principle and are conditional but workable. Point #2 on hotline is good news. Point #5 on no weapons use against South is positive but questionable.
5) Several ways you can interpret Points #3, 4, 5 depending on your lens (political, cultural) and knowledge of inter-Korean history...
6) Big caveat: Point #6 is about SKorean Taekwondo and arts troupe going to North Korea. The numbering and arrangement of agreed points in Seoul's announcement depends on what you're listening to and reading. I dictated live announcement. There's a full-text released.
7) Agreements are NKorea stepping on the peace offensive gas. Just the beginning of a very complicated road ahead. NK needs to prove with actions it's serious about agreements. Important to see how NK states and interprets the agreements...
8) Inter-Korean activities will begin to pick up speed - is Washington ready? Many dubious points but still provides some room to work with. But does Washington have a negotiation plan/strategy?
9) SKorean public has become skeptical after seeing this movie many times before in 2 previous progressive administrations. They'll focus on substance of inter-Korean summit results & whether peace will be achieved. For SKorea, peace means no nukes.
10) Agreements further prove Kim Jong Un is calculating and quite a strategic thinker. Video footage of SKorean envoys' trip show a confident KJU and wanting to portray his country as normal, modern, peace-loving.
