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| U.S. President Donald Trump's Nov. 17 tweet |
A senior North Korean diplomat arrived in Russia, Monday evening, for consultations with officials there over the possible resumption of denuclearization talks with the United States.
"On Nov. 18, at Sunan International Airport Ambassador A. Matsegora saw off member of the State Affairs Commission of DPRK, First Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK Choe Son-hui who left on a visit to Russia," the Russian embassy said in a post on its official Facebook page.
The specifics of Choe's itinerary in Russia were not released, but political analysts in Seoul said she would probably discuss tactics with the officials ahead of any nuclear disarmament talks between Washington and Pyongyang. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has set the end of the year as a deadline for negotiations.
Cheong Wa Dae officials declined to comment on the trip citing the sensitivity of the issue. Choe is well-known as a "lead negotiator" in the denuclearization talks and is also considered one of the top confidants of the North Korean leader. She previously helped broker earlier working-level dialogue with Washington's negotiators.
Choe's visit came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter urging Kim to "act quickly" to get a possible compromise deal in the nuclear disarmament talks. "I am the only one who can get you where you have to be," Trump tweeted. "You should act quickly, get the deal done. See you soon!"
As the deadline is approaching, Washington has consistently been offering a low-level "olive branch" to the North despite the latter's continued missile tests.
One implication of Choe's visit to Russia is that the North may have decided to wait out next year's U.S. presidential election to deal with a re-elected Trump or a new Democratic president, according to Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.
"Some say North Korea's strategy is to avoid making concessions in working-level talks, and if no summit with unearned rewards is on offer, it will just wait out the U.S. election to then deal with a re-elected Trump," Easley said via e-mail. "Domestic pressures are likely such that Kim's year-end threat is as much a deadline for economic progress as it is a diplomatic ultimatum."
On Monday, the pro-North Korean Choson Sinbo published in Japan called on Trump to "come up with a new proposal" to break the current impasse in the talks.
"Now is time for the U.S. president to come up with a new calculation method. The grace period North Korea has provided, which will end at the end of December, is approaching," the newspaper said in a column.
Working-level discussions between Washington and Pyongyang in Stockholm, Sweden, failed to produce any visible agreements after the North asked the United States to provide considerable economic sanctions relief, while Washington called for a detailed plan for nuclear disarmament. Neither side accepted the other's request.
In an apparent move to soothe the North's repeated protests against joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises, U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo agreed to postpone the upcoming joint air force drills known as the Combined Flying Training Event.
Political experts welcomed the decision saying it would help North Korea return to the nuclear talks.
"It's a well-known fact that joint military exercises between South Korea and the U.S. have imposed a great deal of pressure on the North," Sejong Institute Research Planning Vice President Cheong Seong-jang said. "Last year, South Korea and the U.S. also decided to postpone their joint military drills before the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. This really helped ease tension on the Korean Peninsula. The decision later helped mend fences between the U.S. and North Korea as well. Pyongyang now has not many options but to come back to the table."
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| U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, Feb. 27. / Yonhap |
Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of the North's ruling Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee praised the postponement saying Pyongyang regarded the decision as the "intent of President Trump." Kim said this was part of positive efforts by the U.S. to preserve momentum for the denuclearization negotiations.
As part of back-up efforts to help find a possible breakthrough, Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul flew to the U.S., Sunday. A unification ministry official said Kim will meet U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun during his week-long trip.
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