Lee Min-hyung joined The Korea Times in 2014 and has worked as a journalist mainly in Korea’s finance, tech and automotive industry. He specializes in content creation, breaking news and in-depth analysis currently on transportation and mobility. You can reach him via mhlee@koreatimes.co.kr.
NK, US leaders still attached to dialogue
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center in the bottom line, poses with a group of the regime's newly elected ranking officials at headquarters of the Central Committee of the North's ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang, Friday. Yonhap
By Lee Min-hyung
By Lee Min-hyung
The United States and North Korea are showing signs of keeping their dialogue momentum alive by resuming the now-stalled denuclearization negotiations.
Skepticism had prevailed post-Hanoi over the possible resumption of the nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang, as North Korea made gestures to revert to its past reclusive nature by being unresponsive to dialogues on nuclear disarmament.
U.S. President Donald Trump, responding to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's weekend comment, tweeted late Saturday that a third summit with Kim would be “good.”
“I agree with Kim Jong-un of North Korea that our personal relationship remains very good, perhaps the term excellent would be even more accurate, and that a third summit would be good in that we fully understand where we each stand,” Trump tweeted.
“I look forward to the day, which could be soon, when nuclear weapons and sanctions can be removed, and then watching North Korea become one of the most successful nations of the world.”
The North's propaganda Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Saturday quoted Kim as saying “I am interested in having the third summit on condition that the U.S. engages in the dialogue in the right attitude after finding a methodology that can be shared with the North,” in a meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly.
It was the first time the regime's dictator has expressed hopes to revive the dialogue since the summit fiasco in late February. Kim also put forth a “timeline.”
“We are going to patiently wait for the U.S.' courageous decision until the end of this year,” Kim said.
Despite the positive gesture for a third summit, Kim also ramped up criticism of Washington's “unilaterally demanding” dialogue style.
“We put emphasis on resolving problems through dialogues and negotiations, but are not interested in the dialogue style of the U.S. which only makes unilateral claims,” Kim said. “We do not welcome possible repetition of such a summit as that in Hanoi,” he said.
Expectations were that Trump and Kim might sign a deal, whether it was small or big, during the two-day-long summit in Vietnam's capital.
But breaking the prevailing expectations, they failed to reach an agreement due to their lingering differences in approaches to denuclearization.
The U.S. wanted the North to sign a one-shot big deal that can make big progress in their denuclearization negotiation, while the North demanded a phased rollback of its nuclear weapons programs.
“If the U.S. continues sticking to such political calculations, the outlook for problem-solving will remain dim and very dangerous,” Kim said, adding the North will sign an agreement only when it includes details fair enough for Pyongyang and Washington to accept.
Despite the positive signals, skepticism remained.
“Both leaders opened the possibility of holding more dialogues, but it appears very tough for Trump and Kim to narrow their differences in the near future,” said Shin Beom-chul, a senior director at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.
Kim also warned South Korea to not merely play a role as an “overstepping mediator” but that it should “speak up” for Pyongyang's interests, placing pressure on President Moon Jae-in as he seeks to talk to the North soon.
Kim tightening leadership grip
During the meeting of the North's top legislative body, Kim Jong-un tightened his grip on the regime by winning a new title of “supreme representative of all the (North) Korean people.”
The major parliamentary session took place Thursday and Friday. The KCNA said it revised the Constitution during the session, but did not share details.
But critics argue the new title Kim acquired indicates the revision was carried out in a way for him to strengthen his control on the totalitarian state.