The Confederation of Lawyers of Asia and the Pacific (COLAP) and International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) welcome the “Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification on the Korean Peninsula” singed on April 27th, 2018 by Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and President Moon Jae In of the Republic of Korea (ROK). It is a milestone for peace on the Korean peninsula in particular and in Northeast Asia at large.
This agreement is historic. It upholds the principle of self-determination and reflects the dramatic improvements and developments of inter-Korean relations. These improvements will reduce military tensions with the aspiration for a permanent and lasting peace on the Peninsula.
The Declaration calls for permanent and peace on the Peninsula and for the armistice should be promptly transformed into a permanent peace agreement.
The Declaration comes at a time when the threat of war and use of nuclear weapons was rising. The Declaration helps defuse the threat of war. Both leaders have promised to work to make true denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as a reality.
Having in mind eternal peace in this area, COLAP demands the states concerned implement the declaration. We call on:
1, The DPRK and the US at the upcoming summit, to conclude an agreement to end the Korean War so as to remove the threat of DPRK-US military confrontation from the region.
2, The US to take all necessary and positive measures to accomplish a full withdrawal of the US forces stationed in the Peninsula as part of a peace treaty. The bases have existed for more than 60 years after the Korean War. Their presence represents a military intervention against sovereignty and independence of the Korean people.
3, The DPRK to stop developing nuclear weapons and dismantle any nuclear weapons it possessed in accordance with the measures taken by the US Government to relinquish its hostile policies against DPRK such as the lifting economic sanctions, suspending US-ROK joint military exercises, withdrawing nuclear strategic assets, removing the US Forces stationing in Korea.
4, The Republic of Korea to take steps to get rid of the US nuclear umbrella, including removal of whole set of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Missile (THAAD) system, which has been installed in this country on a pretext of missile threats from the North.
5, The Japanese Government to resume dialogue with the DPRK with a view toward normalizing diplomatic relations, and should abandon all militaristic policies such as military expansion similar to the hostile US hostile policies toward DPRK, which runs counter to Japan’s Peace Constitution (Article 9).
COLAP supports that the South and the North will end their confrontation and speed up a process to realize reunification, when we are always committed to fulfilling our roles as lawyers in implementing the Panmunjom Declaration.
May 4th, 2018
Jitendra Sharma
President, COLAP
Jeanne Mirer
President, IADL
Photo credit: Republic of Korea