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By Park Si-soo
Is North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visiting Seoul on March 1?
Reports of this began circulating Wednesday, citing unidentified government sources. Some had plausible details: for the leaders of the two Koreas to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement Day ― on the date and at the same location.
The uprising on March 1, 1919 ― celebrated by both Koreas ― is recorded as one of the marquee grassroots independence movements during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
Presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday denied reports that Kim would visit Seoul on the historically symbolic day. Nevertheless, the speculation continues.
"Nothing is fixed," a Cheong Wa Dae official said. "Discussion over Kim's Seoul visit will be able to begin after things related to the second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are confirmed."
Despite the denial, North Korea experts here are sticking to the scenario of Kim visiting Seoul soon, for two reasons: South Korean President Moon Jae-in's comment on Jan. 10 and Kim's willingness to visit, revealed in his letter to Moon last month.
At a press conference on Jan. 10, Moon said: "If the second summit between Trump and Kim takes place, it would be easier for Kim to make a trip to Seoul."
Last month, in a letter to Moon, Kim regretted delaying his promised visit to Seoul and expressed a willingness to make it happen this year.
Judging from these, everything seems to hinge on the second Trump-Kim summit. If it happens in the "not-too-distant future," as suggested by Trump ― hopefully by the end of February ― Kim's Seoul visit on March 1 could become a reality.
In the meantime, the United States and North Korea are reportedly in talks over "details" of the second Trump-Kim summit, with the idea of having it in Vietnam's Hanoi in February.
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