April 27, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement on the latest developments on the Korean peninsula:
“President Trump promised to change the geo-political world in which we live and the current rapprochement between South Korea and North Korea is evidence that his re-think everything approach is working. In the past, China was seen as the key broker with the North Koreans, and while they have had a role in this process, the pictures of just confirmed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jung Un demonstrates that President Trump, unlike his predecessors, recognized that on the U.S. can represent U.S. interests. By creating direct communications, President Trump opened the door for the historic meeting of the leaders of the North Korean and South Korean governments.
“Of course, this is just a first, but very important step toward ending this forgotten war that began in 1950 when North Korea first invaded South Korea. After the hot war ended, a Cold War has existed on the border between the two Koreas with 35,000 U.S. troops currently stationed there in constant harm’s way. In order to show that they are sincere in their desire for peace, the North Koreans need to release the three Americans still being held hostage by the regime, followed closely by providing a full accounting of the North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile programs and U.S. inspectors must be part of the inspection teams throughout the denuclearization process. Once the peninsula is nuclear free, the U.S. can begin the process of bringing our troops home from South Korea.
“Most Americans only remember the Korean War through old MASH episodes. The truth of that war is that it was bloody and brutal with battles like Chosin Reservoir, Inchon and Pork Chop Hill being etched in a generation’s memories from a time when instant gratification communications did not exist and the true perils and horrors of the war were largely unknown to the public. President Donald Trump has been determined to change the status quo and end this stand-off from the outset of his administration as evidenced by his sending Vice President Pence to the DMZ early in his presidency and by ratcheting up pressure on North Korea as they expanded their nuclear program, have created a pathway to peace, if the North Koreans will take it.”
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