Oh Young-jin is The Korea Times' publisher and president. He began to work at The Korea Times in 1988 as a sports writer. Then, he worked as a reporter and later as editor at the City Desk, Business Desk and Politics Desk. He worked as chief editorial writer before taking the current position. He has a keen interest in politics as well as defense affairs.
Summit: 3rd time could be charm, if it happens
Protesters wearing masks of U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stand during a rally demanding the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and peace treaty near the U.S. embassy in Seoul, March 21. AP
By Oh Young-jin
By Oh Young-jin
Again, it is hard to predict the future of the Korean Peninsula after the no-deal summit in Hanoi between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un late last month. So far, the two adversaries have tried to exercise restraint, being careful not to provoke each other, in an attempt not to lose their dialogue momentum.
But the Hanoi summit shows, if anything, the fundamental differences in their stances on how to get the North's denuclearization and the U.S.'s compensation going. The U.S. wants a “big deal” for the North to be completely disarmed at once, while the North wants the U.S. to ease sanctions in return for partial action.
One fear is a return to the tension before the PyeongChang Olympics in February 2018, when evidence showed the U.S. was seriously contemplating a preemptive strike for a potential first nuclear exchange on the peninsula.
If that is fortunately avoided, it can't be ruled out that Trump will adopt the non-policy of strategic patience of his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama and leave the Korean problem festering.
For Koreans, it would be horrible living like in the movie “Groundhog Day,” stuck in more or less a repetition of the past seven decades since the 1950-1953 Korean War.
As the U.S. and the North square off with each other, or seek a chance for a third summit ― depending on how one looks at it ― South Korea's President Moon Jae-in is having a hard time regaining traction in his self-styled role of honest broker, losing the trust of the parties he's supposed to bring together.
The domestic conservative opposition also is recovering its strength thanks to Moon's dilemma, pushing for an antagonistic approach toward Pyongyang.
All said, it is not pitch dark but foggy enough to increase uncertainty. The Korea Times recently hosted a roundtable to see what could be in store, inviting Asia Times correspondent Andrew Salmon, China expert Hwang Jae-ho, author Michael Breen and Michael Hay, who ran the only foreign law firm in North Korea.