Two-thirds of South Koreans believe Kim’s denuclearization promises: poll

A recent summit between the leaders of the two Koreas has raised genuine hopes for peace on the Korean Peninsula as a poll suggests more than two thirds of South Koreans believe North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un is serious about his promises of denuclearization and reaching peace in the region.

The poll by research agency Realmeter said on Monday that 64.7 percent of South Koreans were of the opinion that Kim would deliver on his promises regarding denuclearization and peace, a significant jump from only 14.7 percent who endorsed the idea before the Friday summit between the leaders of the two Koreas.

The poll also showed that approval ratings for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who initiated the idea of negotiating a settlement with North Korea, skyrocketed to 70 percent after the summit.

Scores of aides and staff greeted Moon by cheers and a standing ovation as he arrived at the presidential Blue House on Monday.

The South Korean president said he was sure peace would come as a result of current reconciliation efforts. He ordered the staff to swiftly follow up on the agreements reached on Friday at the border truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone.

As part of confidence-building measures, South Korea has vowed to turn off and dismantle the loudspeakers at border that often blare propaganda messages against the North Korean government. Pyongyang is also planning to synchronize its time zone with Seoul’s by moving the country’s clocks forward by 30 minutes.

The Friday summit in Panmunjom was the third such meeting between leaders of the two Koreas in history and the first for Kim to set foot on the south side of the border. The North Korean leader is also slated to meet US President Donald Trump in late May or early June.

Kim accepted offers by Moon earlier this year to kick off the reconciliation process by sending a delegation of athletes to the Winter Olympics in South Korea. The move was followed by intensive shuttle diplomacy and Kim finally accepted to attend summits with Moon and Trump.

The growing rapprochement between the two neighbors follows a series of missile and nuclear tests by North Korea last year that prompted the US and its allies to impose massive economic sanctions on Pyongyang. Kim and Trump traded some unprecedented threats of war following the tests, sparking fears of a full-fledged nuclear confrontation in the region.

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