Bo-eun leads the digital content team. She has covered foreign affairs, North Korea, tech, economy and gender issues at The Korea Times. She did a short stint at the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, where she obtained a new perspective on news production and life. Small sources of joy for her are lounging in the sun, having a good latte and swimming.
'Inter-Korean summit hinges on North Korea-US talks'
President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shake hands after signing an agreement at their third summit in Pyongyang in September. / Yonhap
By Kim Bo-eun
By Kim Bo-eun
The government hopes North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will visit Seoul this year as he promised earlier, but this will likely depend on progress in denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington, analysts said Tuesday.
“The variable is the high-level meeting between North Korea and the United States,” said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
“For the North Korean leader's visit to take place this year, the high-level meeting must take place this month.”
The meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea Vice Chairman Kim Yong-chol was originally set to be held Nov. 8, but was postponed at the request of Pyongyang.
Recent developments have signaled that preparations are now underway for the meeting to take place. Andrew Kim, head of the CIA's Korea Mission Center, visited Seoul secretly last week to meet with government officials. He also reportedly met with North Korean officials at the truce village of Panmunjeom. Rep. Park Jie-won of the minor Party for Democracy and Peace stated that it could take place Nov. 28. Park is known to be a credible source on North Korean affairs.
The lawmaker recently visited Mount Geumgang in the North for an event marking the 20th anniversary of tours to the scenic mountain resort.
In a radio interview, he said officials from the North “asked me what kind of events would take place when the leader visits Seoul.”
“I believe it is realistically possible, and a lot of the discussions I had in the North were on views on Kim's visit,” he said.
The high-level meeting is seen as having to produce progress in the long-stalled denuclearization talks between North Korea and the U.S., and setting a date for a second summit between their leaders.
The prevailing view is that Kim's visit to Seoul will take place after the second summit with Trump, which is expected to be held next year.
“This is because Kim will have nothing to take from a meeting with Moon, unless there is progress in Pyongyang-Washington talks,” said Shin Beom-chul, a senior fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.
“There isn't anything the North can get before an agreement to ease sanctions is made at the summit between Kim and Trump. Kim will not return empty-handed,” he said.
Park Won-gon, a professor at Handong Global University, agreed. “A decision needs to be reached on North Korea's denuclearization steps and corresponding measures from the U.S.,” he said.
He also pointed out “there would also need to be grounds to host Kim in Seoul” ― meaning the public could oppose the North Korean leader visiting without making progress in denuclearization.
“Visiting without such grounds entails a level of risk,” he said.
The leaders of the Koreas agreed at their third summit in September for Kim to make a visit to Seoul at an early date, which Moon said would likely be within this year. The planned visit to Seoul is a return visit, as Moon was in Pyongyang for the third summit. The leaders have met three times since their first summit in April.