World to watch historic summit

Im Jong-seok, presidential chief of staff and the head of the inter-Korean summit preparation committee, reveals a detailed schedule of the South-North summit at the Korean International Exhibition Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. / Yonhap

By Kim Rahn

All eyes will be on Korea Friday as the leaders of the two countries meet at 9:30 a.m. for a historic summit that may pave the way for a resolution to North Korea's decades-long nuclear weapons program.

President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will have their first encounter when the latter crosses the military demarcation line on foot to the summit venue, the Peace House, a building on the southern side of the truce village of Panmunjeom.

The two leaders will discuss denuclearizing the North and establishing permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. Unlike two previous inter-Korean summits in 2000 and 2007, this meeting is taking place at a time when Pyongyang's nuclear technology has become much more advanced and military tensions on the peninsula has been heightened.

What agreement the two leaders make and how they do it will decide whether Kim's following summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in May or June will produce a meaningful outcome in resolving the nuclear issue.

The historic moment has become possible following Moon's strong commitment to dialogue with the North, coupled with the international community's economic sanctions against Pyongyang which seem to have taken their toll.

Dialogue with the North and the co-prosperity of the two Koreas have been longtime wishes for Moon, who was in charge of the second inter-Korean summit preparations in 2007 between former President Roh Moo-hyun and then-North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, as Roh's chief of staff.

As a presidential candidate, Moon said he was willing to visit Pyongyang if it would help resolve the nuclear issue. He also presented a plan to establish a new economic community on the peninsula, seeking economic cooperation with North Korea and further cooperation with China and Russia, as a way to get Pyongyang to engage in international economic activities and thus achieve co-prosperity and eventually peace.

As President, he offered a peace overture in his speech in Berlin last July. He said he would pursue a peace treaty with the North, adding the South would not seek regime collapse or unification by absorption.

In the speech, Moon called on the North to participate in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, and this was realized after Kim announced his country's willingness to do so in his New Year speech.

The atmosphere surrounding the peninsula became rapidly reconciliatory. Kim sent not only athletes but also his sister Kim Yo-jong to the South for the Olympics and she delivered his invitation to Moon to visit Pyongyang for a summit. He told Moon's special envoys and U.S. Secretary of State appointee Mike Pompeo he would give up his nuclear arsenal if the safety of his regime was guaranteed and military threats were removed.

Considering his previous hostility toward the South and the U.S., his changed stance was quite a surprise. Kim, who used to be reclusive, has seemingly changed recently, making his first overseas trip to Beijing and meeting foreign envoys.

What has made Kim change is unclear. Some political analysts presume international sanctions are beginning to bite, while others say the U.S.'s escalating threats to use a military option have had an effect.

Whatever the cause, North Korea is set to negotiate about its nuclear weapons with the South and the U.S. The three nations will even discuss signing a peace treaty to officially end the Korean War.

Although the countries seek denuclearization altogether, they may have different opinions on how to realize it and this will be a contentious issue at the summits.

"If we can stipulate the two Koreas' clear determination for denuclearization, and if we can confirm it is for the complete denuclearization of the peninsula, we will be able to say this summit has been successful," said Im Jong-seok, presidential chief of staff and head of the summit preparation committee. "Then this summit will be a good guide for the Washington-Pyongyang summit."

Site Map E-paper Subscribe Register LogIn
Site Map E-paper Subscribe Register LogIn