WASHINGTON – Ahead of the nuclear summit with North Korea, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, outlined a series of proposals to reduce the threat North Korea poses and make genuine progress towards rolling back its nuclear weapons program. Murphy released the following statement: 

“Last year’s summit with North Korea was a complete disaster. President Trump lavished unnecessary syrupy praise on brutal dictator Kim Jong Un and conceded to halt military exercises with South Korea, without any meaningful commitment to denuclearization in return. As our own intelligence experts concluded just last month, the North Korean regime is pursuing activity that is ‘inconsistent with denuclearization’ and is ‘committed to developing a long-range, nuclear-armed missile that is capable of posing a direct threat to the United States.’ Satellite imagery shows that their nuclear weapons program continued throughout last year. So much for the Trump-Kim love affair.

“A temporary pause of nuclear and missile tests is not the metric for whether North Korea is changing its behavior. Nor is an agreement to dismantle facilities they no longer need. North Korea has a long history of pretending to comply in order to get what it wants—giving just enough to get something important in return, but never actually walking back its nuclear program. At the outset of this meeting, with reports that President Trump is considering a formal peace agreement and the possible withdrawal of U.S. troops from the region, we face the very real prospect of giving up virtually every pressure point we have, in return for—what? I’m all for negotiation and diplomacy, but not if it means we give up everything while North Korea retains the capability to annihilate us or our allies.

“And yet, I’m rooting for success. We all should. I’m laying out some tangible, realistic steps we should expect from North Korea to reduce the threat they pose and make genuine progress towards rolling back its nuclear weapons program. Understandably, these North Korean concessions would need to be paired with commitments from America and our allies, but the risk that Trump makes more tangible concessions to Kim without any tangible concession in return is a real and present danger. If this summit does result in a verifiable commitment from both sides to take step-by-step actions, on a specified timeline, I’ll be the first to laud the deal. But if not, and Trump blunders negotiations and continues his disconcerting habit of putting dictatorial regimes on a pedestal, Congress will not stand idly by.”

Specifically, Murphy proposed the following North Korean commitments President Trump should be seeking:

  • A signed joint declaration detailing a roadmap for continued negotiations, with milestones for verifiable progress on commitments made by both sides, including firm dates for completion. The declaration should also include a clear definition of the ultimate goal—not just vague references to “denuclearization.” 
  • A verifiable cap on North Korea’s nuclear warheads and delivery systems (missiles/launchers). 
  • A freeze on all weapons of mass destruction activities. This means not just pausing nuclear tests, but also halting all enrichment activities, construction of new nuclear facilities, building of new missile components or warheads, developmental testing, and chemical and biological weapons programs.
  • Permanent dismantlement of the nuclear facilities at Yongbyon, along with international monitoring. There also must be increased transparency about key aspects of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, and a detailed program for verification that nuclear activities have ceased.

Murphy has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s negotiations with North Korea. Last year, he joined U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) in introducing an amendment that was signed into law as part of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019. The provision prohibited President Trump from withdrawing U.S. forces from South Korea unless the U.S. Secretary of Defense certifies it is in our national security interest and would not significantly undermine the security of our allies in the region. He also is the author of legislation prohibiting President Trump from starting a preemptive war against North Korea, absent an imminent threat or without express authorization from Congress.

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