Seoul still preparing for Kim Jong-un's Busan visit in November

President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un listen as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a surprise meeting in Panmunjeom in the inter-Korean border area, June 30. Yonhap

By Lee Min-hyung

• Published Oct 7, 2019 4:29 PM KST
• Updated Oct 8, 2019 10:53 AM KST

By Lee Min-hyung, Kim Yoo-chul

While North Korea said its working-level nuclear disarmament talks with the United States in Sweden over the weekend failed to meet expectations, the government here is still hoping to invite North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to Busan.

Diplomatic sources told The Korea Times, Monday, that preparatory work was still underway for Kim's possible visit to Busan in November, though the chances of it actually happening are considered low.

“We were hoping for Washington and Pyongyang to see progress in their denuclearization talks as Kim's visit to Busan depends somewhat on the negotiations,” an official at Cheong Wa Dae said. The government has yet to send an official invitation to the North, as it is basing this on results from the nuclear dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.

Tak Hyun-min, President Moon Jae-in's planning advisory committee member, said earlier that the presidential office was preparing for the possible visit. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) also hinted recently that Kim could visit Busan if the nuclear dialogue developed in a positive manner.

The relevant government authorities are also keeping a close watch on the upcoming restart of the working-level talks, expected in two weeks.

“The fundamental stance of the government is to keep taking steps not just for the improvement in relations between the two Koreas, but also between Washington and Pyongyang,” an official said.

If Kim visits Busan, it would be the first trip by a North Korean leader to South Korean soil beyond the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and could help President Moon's ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) improve its chances in next year's general election.

During a summit last September with Moon in Pyongyang, Kim promised to visit Seoul soon, but that promise has yet to materialize mostly due to the lack of progress in the denuclearization negotiations.

A special summit between South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is planned in Busan for Nov. 25 and 26. President Moon will use his participation in next month's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) in Chile to ask Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to support his idea of inviting Kim to Busan.

Putin and Xi confirmed they will be at the APEC event. But U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe haven't yet notified APEC over their possible attendance.

“Kim's visit to Busan is important for Moon as the President is desperate for a breakthrough in the U.S.-North Korea denuclearization talks to revive his engagement-centric inter-Korean policy. Also, Moon is being hit hard by a series of domestic and economic issues,” said Kim Kyung-min, a politics professor at Hanyang University in Seoul.

Jeong Se-hyun, the new deputy chairman of the National Unification Advisory Council, concurred over the chances. “If Kim Jong-un visits Busan upon the invitation from Moon, there is a high probability they will hold a summit,” Jeong said during a recent council seminar.

Pyongyang's chief nuclear negotiator Kim Myong-gil blamed the U.S. negotiating team over the failure of the working-level talks, insisting the United States didn't change its “old viewpoint and attitude.” But the U.S. side said it held good discussions with its North Korean counterparts.

Jeong, a former unification minister, added that the impeachment investigation into Trump may put the brakes on the resumption of the denuclearization talks.