Senator Markey has long called for direct engagement with North Korea backed by economic pressure

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Washington (June 12, 2018) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the East Asia Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement about the Singapore summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Senator Markey spoke today on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

“Despite his claims to the contrary, President Trump got a weaker deal with fewer commitments than any of his predecessors,” said Senator Markey. “Nowhere does the document explain what complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula even means. The loopholes in the agreement are big enough to fly nuclear missiles through. It is clear that North Korea has not yet felt the economic pressure necessary to compel it to accept our definition of denuclearization. North Korea must understand that, even if China eases the pressure, Congress is ready to step in to tighten the screws.

“By agreeing to curtail our joint military exercises with South Korea, President Trump let Kim Jong Un dictate our military activities with other countries. Not only did President Trump sideline South Korea, one of our strongest allies, with the announcement, he may have unwittingly given a green light to China to pursue more aggressive actions in the region.

“Negotiating with North Korea is clearly harder than President Trump anticipated,” continued Senator Markey. “That is why we must continue to squeeze the regime so that it cannot access the resources necessary to maintain or expand its military capabilities.  Only a combination of direct engagement, backed by pressure, can solve the North Korean threat to the United States, our allies, and the broader region.”

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