Nuclear envoys seek progress in North Korea denuclearization

U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun speaks with his South Korean counterpart Lee Do-hoon, special representative for peace and security affairs on the Korean peninsula, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

By Lee Min-hyung

Top nuclear envoys from South Korea and the United States on Friday discussed measures to achieve "substantive progress" on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula before a summit between leaders of the allies this weekend.

On Friday morning, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun held lengthy talks with his South Korean counterpart Lee Do-hoon. Biegun was in Seoul to arrange agendas for the summit between President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump.

"We have witnessed a lot of diplomatic interactions and activities on and around the Korean Peninsula recently, and we can discuss ways and means on how to translate them into substantive progress on denuclearization and peace on the peninsula," Lee said in an opening remark before the closed-door meeting with Biegun.

Authorities from the two countries did not share other details of the discussion. Lee also said the meeting aimed to fine-tune pre-summit details before Trump's visit to Seoul on Saturday after the G20 summit in Osaka.

"President Trump will arrive in Seoul tomorrow, and we can work together and get to prepare their work to help our leaders ensure the success of the summit," Lee said.

Biegun did not make public details of his Seoul itinerary. Rumors said he could contact North Korean officials near the inter-Korean border area to resume working-level nuclear talks with Pyongyang.

He will leave Seoul on Sunday after ending schedules centered on the summit.

In the afternoon, Biegun also met the South's Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul. Kim shared the status of inter-Korean relations and ministry-driven humanitarian projects for North Korea with Biegun.

The projects include the South's plan to provide 50,000 tons of rice to the North. On Friday, the unification ministry decided to spend 40.8 billion won ($35 million) from its inter-Korean cooperation fund on the project.

Complicating nuclear diplomacy on peninsula

Lee said Biegun's visit came "in a timely manner" before the summit and ever-complicating nuclear situation on the peninsula.

The peninsula is at a critical crossroads, with political powerhouses seeking to intensify hegemonic battles over the denuclearization of North Korea.

Washington and Pyongyang are the two interested parties in the now-suspended nuclear negotiations. But with the deadlock extending for months, China and Russia are showing signs of moving to increase their influence on the peninsula amid their intensifying political rivalry with the U.S.

Beijing and Moscow did not play a part in the nuclear talks on the peninsula before the breakdown of the Hanoi summit last February between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

But the nuclear diplomacy surrounding the peninsula has since become more complicated, with Kim holding summits with leaders of the North's two longtime allies. Chinese President Xi Jinping even went to Pyongyangfor the first time since taking office in 2013, in an apparent show of political pressure against Trump amid their year-long trade battle.

"China prioritizes stability over denuclearization and conflict avoidance over peace building," said Leif-Eric Easley, associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.

"So Americans see Beijing supporting Pyongyang to prevent the deterioration of the status quo but failing to pressure North Korea enough to improve its behavior."

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