'Foreign journalists see little progress in denuclearization of North Korea'

By Kim Hyun-bin

When President Moon Jae-in arrived in Pyongyang Tuesday, he was greeted by a crowd of North Koreans including its leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju welcoming him and his wife with open arms. The historic encounter was broadcasted live in South Korea in what seems to portray improved inter-Korean ties.

Tensions might have been reduced in recent months, but many foreign journalists are skeptical on the progress of denuclearization of the North Korean regime.

“On the surface, there hasn't been a huge amount of progress in denuclearization,” said Nicola Smith, Asia correspondent at The Telegraph. “I don't think there will be significant progress in terms of denuclearization (in the third summit). I think when it comes to the big decision in disarmament that will have to be taken when President Trump's in the room.”

In recent tweets, U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged his willingness to meet Kim for the second time. However, many journalists believe there needs to be some progress in denuclearization of the regime for the meeting to take place.

“There needs to be some concrete agreement and that is probably Moon's main mission to come up with some sort of middle ground that can bring back North Korea and the United States to the negotiation table,” said Kim Gamel, Asia-Pacific correspondent at Stars and Stripes.

Many experts say North Korea seems to have made key steps in denuclearization, but also point out all the steps could be reversible as there have been no international inspections or verification processes.

However, many believe the two Koreas have been making some progress as tensions on the peninsula have massively reduced in recent months.

“I think when you compare where we were at this time last year when President Trump was denouncing Kim Jong-un as rocket man in the U.N. General Assembly and where we are now, tensions have massively reduced,” Smith said.

They have been making slow, steady, incremental steps in the right direction and that is an important part of the diplomatic process in building the foundation of what they hope is a bigger deal in peace on the Korean Peninsula, she added.