S Korean Political Parties Divided Over Summit Agreement

South Korea's liberal parties on Wednesday welcomed the latest inter-Korean summit agreement, saying that the deal marked a step forward in bringing peace to the Korean Peninsula.

SEOUL, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Sep, 2018 ) :South Korea's liberal parties on Wednesday welcomed the latest inter-Korean summit agreement, saying that the deal marked a step forward in bringing peace to the Korean Peninsula.

But the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) and the minor conservative Bareunmirae Party (BP) called the summit accord "void," claiming that it lacks specifics for North Korea's denuclearization.

After his third summit with President Moon Jae-in, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to "permanently" dismantle a key missile-testing site under the monitoring of international experts. Kim also expressed the country's readiness to close its nuclear complex in Yongbyon, depending on corresponding actions by Washington.

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) praised the summit deal, saying that the two Koreas had reaffirmed their "firm" commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"The path toward peace on the Korean Peninsula opens wide," the party said. "It is a remarkable achievement that the two Koreas agreed on practical progress for denuclearization, beyond their reaffirmation of the firm resolve toward denuclearization of the peninsula." The DP said that North Korea's vow to permanently shut down the Dongchang-ri missile testing site in the presence of international experts means that the country has kept the promise it made in the summit agreement with the United States in June.

The liberal opposition Party for Democracy and Peace expressed hope for continued contact and cooperation between the two Koreas to support Kim Jong-un's promise to visit Seoul in the near future.

But the LKP said that the summit agreement lacks substance for "practical" progress on the North's denuclearization, given that there was no plan to dismantle all of North Korea's existing nuclear facilities and nuclear weapons.

"North Korea's nuclear facilities are located nationwide beyond its Yongbyon nuclear complex. The North is suspected of running at least 15 nuke facilities and its existing nuclear weapons are estimated at more than 30-40," the conservative party said.

"If the North Korean nuclear issue is not resolved, it will be difficult to bring peace to the peninsula and develop inter-Korean relations," it stressed.

The BP, the third-largest party, said that it had expected North Korea's imminent steps for denuclearization that could lead to the lifting of international sanctions on Pyongyang, but the summit deal did not include any substantial measures.