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| North Korean leader Kim Jong-un Yonhap |
FM Kang says Seoul will not renew GSOMIA unless 'no changes' from Japan
By Do Je-hae
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will not be attending the upcoming Korea-ASEAN Commemorative Summit being hosted by Busan, the North's official KCNA said Thursday.
Saying "now is not the right time" because of worsening inter-Korean ties, the KCNA said in a statement that it would be impossible for Kim to attend the event at the South Korean port city.
According to the KCNA, President Moon Jae-in sent a handwritten letter to the North Korean leader inviting him to the event, which will run from Nov. 25 to 27. The state-run media also added President Moon asked Kim to send an envoy to the summit if he was unable to visit Busan.
"If the invitation is based on sincere trust, then there is no reason for us not to be thankful toward the invitation. We are aware that the South has made full preparations for a possible visit by our leader with regard to protocol. We understand Moon's anxiety to create a breakthrough in inter-Korean relations by making use of this opportunity," the statement said.
"But the promises that were made at Panmunjeom, Pyongyang and Mount Baekdu have not been realized at all. As such, a meeting between the leaders of the two countries would be pointless."
While the statement seemed to show some understanding of Moon's efforts as it acknowledged his efforts to develop inter-Korean relations, it blamed Seoul for failing to make visible progress on inter-Korean projects that have been unable to move forward due to international sanctions.
On a related note, U.S. envoy Stephen Biegun said "time is running short" to achieve a denuclearization deal, but not because of the end-of-year deadline presented by the North Korean leader. Speaking at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Thursday (KST), Biegun said the "window is still open" asking the North Koreans to "seize the moment." He added that Washington has seen no "concrete evidence" that North Korea intends to denuclearize.
During a recent televised question and answer session with 300 selected citizens, President Moon said developments in inter-Korean relations were in sync with the level of progress in the nuclear disarmament talks between Washington and Pyongyang and the creation of a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
The North Korean leader's refusal is expected to hit President Moon's efforts for better relations as he looked to the Busan summit as an opportunity to realize a reciprocal visit by Kim for the President's trip to Pyongyang last year.
Regarding the KCNA statement, Cheong Wa Dae had no immediate comment; while the government would not confirm when and how the invitation letter was delivered to the North Korean leader.
The presidential office has continued to say that Kim's visit would be dependent on progress in the denuclearization negotiations. The U.S. and North Korea have been unable to make any headway since the collapse of their working-level talks in Stockholm. Despite the negative circumstances, President Moon had not let up on the possible visit by Kim, and had ordered the necessary preparations for this. Moon hoped Kim's Busan visit would pave the way for his "peace process."
Meanwhile, the National Security Council (NSC) is exploring ways to maintain the strong alliance between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo following the expiration of the General Security of Information Agreement (GSOMIA), an intelligence-sharing pact between Seoul and Tokyo.
In a statement, the presidential office said NSC members agreed to continue diplomatic efforts until the very last minute to keep the GSOMIA intact. Cheong Wa Dae said the members also shared the specifics of the recent visit to the U.S. by NSC second deputy chief Kim Hyun-chong, who met with key officials of the Trump administration to explain Seoul's reasoning behind its non-renewal of the pact.
During a session at the National Assembly, Thursday, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said ending the GSOMIA would go ahead if there was "no change" from Japan regarding its export restrictions targeting South Korea companies.
