Moon's new N. Korea strategy: Convince Europe to ease sanctions

Leaders pose for a group photo at the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Brussels, Belgium, Oct. 19. They called for complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization (CVID) of North Korea while President Moon Jae-in sought to win support from France, the U.K. and Germany to ease U.N. Security Council sanctions on North Korea. / Yonhap

European leaders remain unchanged on CVID

By Yi Whan-woo

President Moon Jae-in is apparently trying to convince the European powers to persuade the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) to ease sanctions on North Korea.

To Moon, two permanent UNSCmembers — the U.K. and France — plus Germany can influence the UNSC amid a rift within the UNSC over its North Korea sanctions.

Washington is insisting on stepping up the sanctions while Beijing and Moscow say it is time to stop, following North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's promise to give up his country's nuclear program.

To Moon, this suggested the U.S. may be under pressure in the UNSC and might consider being soft on North Korea, if he can convince the U.K. and France to support the idea of easing UNSC sanctions, analysts say.

Germany was also elected for a two-year seat on the UNSC from 2019 to 2020.

During his five-nation European tour from Oct. 13 to 21, Moon had a bilateral summit with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Minister Theresa May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He said international sanctions against North Korea should be eased if the Kim Jong-un regime takes practical steps to denuclearize.

"I believe the international community needs to provide assurances that North Korea has made the right choice to denuclearize and encourage North Korea to speed up the process," he said during a joint press conference with Macron in Paris, Oct. 15.

Moon, according to his press secretary Yoon Young-chan, also said, "Kim Jong-un has said he is willing to not only halt the country's nuclear and missile tests and also dismantle its production facilities, but also dismantle all nuclear weapons and nuclear materials it currently possesses if the U.S. takes corresponding measures."

During a meeting with Prime Minister May on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit on Oct. 19, Moon said a relevant discussion will be needed at the UNSC on humanitarian aid or a reduction in sanctions against the North when "North Korea reaches a point of no return in its denuclearization process."

President Moon Jae-in and German Chancellor Angela Merkel speak on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Brussels, Belgium, Oct. 19. Germany was elected to a two-year seat on the U.N. Security Council from 2019 to 2020. / Yonhap

At a separate meeting on Oct. 19, Moon stressed the need to encourage North Korea to accelerate its denuclearization process further by easing international sanctions when and if conditions are met.

The three European leaders welcomed the peace progress on the Korean Peninsula, but still underscored a need for North Korea to take concrete measures before easing sanctions.

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Macron said, "We are ready to fulfill every mission given to us as a permanent member of the UNSC to realize complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization (CVID) of North Korea."

May expressed the need for steps to accelerate North Korea's denuclearization process as Moon mentioned, according to Yoon. But she also emphasized that North Korea needed to take more actions for CVID.

The outcome of the ASEM summit, according to analysts, may have been unsatisfactory for Moon.

The leaders of 51 countries from Asia and Europe supported the joint declaration adopted between the two Koreas and the complete and swift implementation of the joint statement between North Korea and the U.S.

But at the same time, they supported the comprehensive resolution of the nuclear issue on the peninsula through diplomacy, and pledged full implementation of UNSC resolutions on Pyongyang.

In a chairman's statement they adopted, the leaders agreed North Korea would "fully, verifiably and irrevocably dismantle all nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction, ballistic missiles and related programs and facilities in accordance with the UNSC resolution and implement the full denuclearization pledge."

It also called on North Korea to cooperate with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the International Atomic Energy Agency's early return and monitoring system.

The Wall Street Journal on Oct. 19 reported Moon's attempt to woo European leaders on easing sanctions against North Korea "appeared to be flat" and "risked putting him further at odds with the (Donald)Trump administration's efforts to maintain pressure on Pyongyang."

Citing a senior European diplomat, The Wall Street Journal said "there was some consternation in the bloc that Seoul was pushing for sanctions relief before a permanent denuclearization process had been established."

The diplomat also said the European Union was remaining "rock hard" on Washington's determination to maintain sanctions pressure, having insisted on this in recent talks with South Korean counterparts.

Korea National Diplomatic Academy professor Kim Hyun-wook remained pessimistic about Moon's attempts to ease sanctions on North Korea.

"The U.S. needs leverage on North Korea and sanctions are probably the last remaining leverage," he said. "The U.S. has been asking South Korea to keep inter-Korean relations in lockstep with the denuclearization progress and Washington may be irked by Moon's moves.

"Regarding Europe, it has been a closer ally than South Korea and this suggests Europe will not be influenced by Moon."