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Letters help maintain dialogue momentum, but major tasks remain
By Kim Bo-eun
The letter diplomacy between the leaders of North Korea and the U.S. continues to unfold, proving to serve as a breakthrough in the deadlocked denuclearization talks.
The White House said earlier this week preparations for a second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un were underway after Trump received another letter from Kim.
The letter was delivered amid stalled negotiations between the countries, due to differences over the initial steps to take in the denuclearization process. This led the U.S. to recently delay Secretary Mike Pompeo's trip to Pyongyang.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump received a "very warm, very positive" letter from Kim. Sanders also referred to the letter as "further evidence of progress," along with North Korea's low-key military parade, Sunday.
The parade was held to mark the 70th anniversary of the regime's founding. Kim Jong-un had stated in his New Year message that there would be a massive event to celebrate the day.
In a military parade marking the anniversary of the founding of North Korea's military forces in February, the regime displayed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, which irked Washington.
But this latest parade did not feature any mid- or long-range missiles, and Kim Jong-un did not deliver an address. There were also no references to the state's nuclear program during the event. It focused on economic development instead.
Trump praised the North Korean leader for the parade that was held this way. "This is a big and very positive statement from North Korea," he tweeted.
Kim's letter was delivered after a delegation of South Korean envoys met with the North Korean leader in Pyongyang last week. National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong, who led the delegation, said the North Korean leader affirmed his trust in the U.S. president as well as his willingness for the regime to denuclearize and for this to be achieved within Trump's first term.
Inter-Korean projects, which were barred for weeks during deadlocked denuclearization talks, have started moving forward. A joint liaison office in the North's city of Gaeseong opened Friday, about a month after the initially scheduled date. Cheong Wa Dae said the postponement of Pompeo's visit affected the office's opening.
The letter is the fourth Kim has sent to Trump. The first was delivered to the White House in a large white envelope by top North Korean official Kim Yong-chol in June. The letter, delivered after Trump canceled the scheduled summit citing hostile remarks from Pyongyang, is seen to have put the meeting back on track.
The second letter was handed to Pompeo when the secretary made his third visit to Pyongyang in July. Trump disclosed the letter on Twitter. The third was sent when North Korea repatriated some of the remains of U.S. soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War.
"The letter this time has helped maintain the dialogue momentum," said Shin Beom-chul, senior fellow at The Asan Institute for Policy Studies. "This was also the case when the first letter from Kim was delivered to Trump."
Tasks ahead
However, Shin said this would not be enough for a second summit to be held.
"While the North Korean leader affirmed his willingness to carry out denuclearization in his meeting with South Korean envoys, there needs to be a promise to take action _ such as stating it will submit its inventory list," he said. "This is because the second summit needs to generate a tangible deal, as President Trump was criticized for being unprepared for the first summit."
Expectations grew for the June summit in Singapore, but it only produced an agreement that the countries would work toward North Korea's denuclearization, achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula, and improve bilateral ties, with no concrete steps given.
The professor said this puts weight on the inter-Korean summit to take place in Pyongyang next week. Denuclearization is on the agenda, along with developing inter-Korean relations.
"President Moon's role has become very important with regards to North Korea's denuclearization as the two decided to discuss the matter," stated Cheong Seong-chang, senior researcher at the Sejong Institute.
Moon and Trump will also meet on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly later this month, where Moon is set to share about his meeting with Kim.
Shin said the second summit between Kim and Trump is expected to take place in October, after Moon meets with Kim and Trump, and before the U.S. midterm elections in November.
Meanwhile, Pompeo's postponed visit to Pyongyang is set to take place soon, for talks on progressing North Korea's denuclearization.
"Secretary Pompeo is also tasked to achieve progress when he visits the North, as he faced criticism for returning empty-handed last time," Shin said.
It is yet to be seen whether Pyongyang and Washington will reach a deal on the North's submission of its nuclear inventory, for a reciprocal measure from the U.S., namely, declaring an end to the Korean War. Denuclearization talks were stalled due to differences over which measure would be taken first. North Korea wants the war to be ended to remove hostilities and protect its regime, while the U.S. has been calling for North Korea to take tangible and verifiable denuclearization steps first.
So far, North Korea shut down its Punggye-ri nuclear testing site and dismantled some of its facilities at its Tongchang-ri missile testing site, but these measures have yet to be verified. The North Korean leader stressed in his meeting with South Korean envoys that these were notable measures, but that the international community was not giving Pyongyang credit for them.
