Pope's possible visit to N. Korea

By Shim Jae-yun

President Moon Jae-in had an amicable chat with U.S. President Joe Biden on Feb. 4 over their shared religion ― Catholicism ― during their first telephone conversation since Biden took office Jan. 20. Both of them are also the second Catholic heads of state of their countries after Kim Dae-jung and John F. Kennedy, respectively, who are probably among the most respected national leaders in their countries.

According to Cheong Wa Dae, Biden first raised the topic saying Pope Francis telephoned him to congratulate him on his inauguration. Moon gave a warm response, recalling his courtesy visit for talks with the Pope in 2018, saying he expressed the hope to play his own role for peace in East Asia.

Moon and Biden discussing religion seems be meant as more than mere “icebreaking,” apparently mindful of the Pope's potential role in finding a breakthrough in the stalled relations among relevant countries especially between North Korea and the United States. The issue of the Pope's possible visit to the reclusive North will likely be raised sometime in the latter half of the year, amid a possible ebbing of the COVID-19 pandemic.

If materialized, such a visit to Pyongyang will likely heighten global attention to the Korean Peninsula while providing a thaw in U.S.-North Korea relations which have remained deadlocked since the 2019 Hanoi summit ended with no deal. Pope Francis mediated the U.S. and Cuba to normalize relations in December 2014.

During his visit to the Vatican in 2018, Moon conveyed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's intention to invite the Pope to his country and the latter said he would visit the North if he received an official invitation. During a recent meeting with foreign envoys working at the Vatican Feb. 8, the Pope renewed his hope to play his part in the Korean issue by saying he was watching the situation with special attention.

He mentioned the North's destruction of the inter-Korean liaison office in the inter-Korean Gaeseong Industrial Complex last year. When delivering a letter of credence to Korea's new envoy to the Vatican Choo Kyu-ho last December, the Pope was quoted as saying “I always pray for peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

The Moon Jae-in administration has been all-out to make progress in the peace process on the Korean Peninsula. The appointment of Chung Eui-yong as foreign minister was taken to signal Moon's unswerving determination toward this end. Chung, in his title as Moon's top security adviser, played a crucial role in realizing summits between Kim and former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018. All these and others raise expectation for the Pope's possible visit to North Korea.

The G-20 summit, set to take place in Rome in October, will likely be a watershed event in this context. Depending on the status of the coronavirus pandemic, Moon, Biden and the Pope will possibly get together during the event. Any trilateral meeting will likely produce tangible details regarding a possible visit to Pyongyang.

Contrary to earlier speculation, the U.S. State Department said recently the North Korean issue remains a top priority for the U.S. government. “I hope you don't confuse a lack of direct engagement with North Korea as an indication that the challenge of North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles programs ― to suggest that that's not a priority,” Ned Price, the department press secretary, said Feb. 9 during a news briefing. “It is, in fact, very much is.”

Biden has been engrossed in efforts to tackle pressing issues including the persisting COVID-19 pandemic, solidifying unity in post-election America, crucial ties with China and the Middle East and so on. Despite this, the Korean issue should not be pushed aside. Peace on the peninsula will be possible only through efforts from all parties concerned.

The Biden administration has been making very different decisions from its predecessor, reversing many of Trump's initiatives. Yet, Biden needs to respect the agreement reached between Trump and Kim in Singapore in 2018. This is because the accord is not a personal one but struck between states.

Future efforts toward peace will gain momentum once they start on the basis of the Singapore agreement featuring methods of denuclearization, a peace process and re-establishing North Korea-U.S. relations. Riding on the possible detente mood, dialogue for the Pope's possible visit to North Korea will pick up steam, thus facilitating the much-touted peace process which will eventually help boost regional peace.

Shim Jae-yun (jayshim@koreatimes.co.kr) is editorial writer of The Korea Times.