ARMS CONTROL in the Korean Peninsula: Opportunities and Limitations

Abstract

The historic first US-DPRK summit on June 12, 2018 in Singapore raised expectation for the peace on the peninsula. And on September 18-20, 2018, the two Koreas held a summit in Pyongyang. Here, the two Koreas agreed to the September Pyongyang Joint Declaration on the implementation of the Panmunjeom Declaration concluded on April 27, 2018, which included practical measures for the expansion and development of inter-Korean relations. Also, as a subsidiary agreement, the agreement in the military sector for the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration was signed. It includes measures to help mitigate military tensions and build trust between the two Koreas, and to reduce the risk of war on the Korean Peninsula. This is the 9.19 Military Agreement. However, such inter-Korean efforts have not shown any success since the second US-DPRK summit at Hanoi in February 2019. In this situation, this paper examines whether arms control on the Korean peninsula is possible, if it is possible what direction will be effective, and what problems will arise in the process. This study is of great significance because the two Koreas must build trust and arms control for peaceful unification.