By Kim Rahn
President Moon Jae-in is considering having bilateral talks with North Korea's Kim Yong-nam who will lead a high-profile delegation to the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, according to Cheong Wa Dae, Monday.
The meeting, if it takes place, could speed up the thawing of inter-Korean relations which is a result of the North's participation in the Games. Moon is also expected to try to encourage Washington-Pyongyang talks, as he will also meet with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence who is leading his country's Olympic delegation.
Cheong Wa Dae welcomed the attendance of Kim, the president of the Supreme People's Assembly, the nominal head of North Korea according to its Constitution.
"It is Kim's first visit to South Korea, and he is the highest-ranking North Korean official ever to visit the South," presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said. "His visit shows North Korea's wishes to improve inter-Korean relations and for a successful Olympics. We recognize the North is showing a serious and sincere attitude."
The spokesman said the government is preparing for various communication opportunities including high-level talks. "The North announced Kim's visit only last night, so working-level officials are now arranging who will be his counterpart and what they will discuss," he said.
During his three-day stay in the South from Friday to Sunday, Moon and Kim may have more than one chance to encounter each other ― Kim is expected to attend the opening ceremony in PyeongChang, Friday, a game of the North-South joint women's ice hockey team in Gangneung, Saturday, and a cultural performance by a North Korean art troupe in Seoul, Sunday. Moon, who will attend the opening ceremony, may consider taking part in the other two events as well.
Besides such short encounters, it is expected the two will have a one-on-one, summit-level meeting, either at Cheong Wa Dae or another place yet to be determined.
Political pundits say the talks with Kim will be like "indirect talks" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and he will deliver Moon's message to the leader. The President is forecast to express his strong intention to improve inter-Korean relations and urge the North to open dialogue with the U.S. for denuclearization.
Another Cheong Wa Dae official said the fact that North Korea's constitutional head is coming sends a message not only to the South but also to other countries.
Pundits also said Kim's coming may signal North Korea's intention to have talks with the U.S., to meet with the same ranking counterpart ― the U.S. vice president.
However, despite Seoul's efforts to create the mood for Washington-Pyongyang talks, it is unclear whether Kim will meet Pence. "It is not something the government can comment on; it is something the U.S. and North Korean governments will decide," the spokesman said.
Pence and the U.S. government have shown a hard-line stance toward Pyongyang.
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that during talks between Pence and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slated for Wednesday in Tokyo ahead of the Olympics, the two will issue a joint statement reaffirming they will maintain "maximum pressure" on the North to push it toward dialogue for denuclearization.
The newspaper said the statement is aimed at showing the two countries' stance that they will not concede until the North opts for denuclearization, although it is now presenting a peace offensive along with the Olympics.
In the meantime, top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the U.S. ― Lee Do-hoon and Joseph Yun ― reviewed the security situation around the Korean Peninsula and discussed how to expand the ongoing inter-Korean talks into Washington-Pyongyang discussions.
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