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Wed, August 15, 2018 | 09:01

Opinion > Columnists > Lee Seong-hyon >

Falling in love with Kim one last time

A nuclear love affair is no different from a human love affair. As the initial infatuation fizzles out, so is the psychological “high” that drives the courtship forward to the next level. It seems that's where Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un are stuck now. Doubts about denuclearization have begun to permeate the public sphere.

Lee Seong-hyon | 2018-08-07 17:24

Tipping point for Trump's patience

There is a view that President Donald Trump is getting impatient with the slow progress in North Korean nuclear negotiations. With that, a question arises as to how long can Trump accommodate Kim Jong-un if the current stalemate persists. He is already under a heavy domestic backlash for holding a summit with Kim in Singapore that was widely viewed as symbolically important yet lacking in substance in denuclearization.

Lee Seong-hyon | 2018-07-24 17:17

China's reputation cost on NK

China should be more ambitious on North Korea. Attempting to “stall” (as alleged by American observers) the U.S. negotiation process with Pyongyang is shortsighted. Being seen as a “disruptor” of the peace process on the Korean Peninsula would exact a heavy reputational cost on China's international image. Instead, it should take a strategy that is more long-term oriented and monumental. “North Korea” may be an opportunity for China to demonstrate its newly-shaping leadership and garner global respect as an alternative power to the United States.

Lee Seong-hyon | 2018-07-11 17:35

After 3 Xi-Kim summits

Xi Jinping has met with Kim Jong-un three times in the mere span of three months, from March to June. It's like Xi has been scoring a summit with Kim every month. Compared to Xi, President Moon Jae-in scored two, and U.S. President Donald Trump one. With that, China is smug with the feeling that it “outstripped” all the other major geopolitical stakeholders in shaping the North Korean affair. It also effectively makes defunct the so-called "China passing" _ the idea that China might be sidelined.

Lee Seong-hyon | 2018-06-26 16:42

Can Trump 'pass up' Xi to work with Kim?

This week marks 25 years since former U.S. President Jimmy Carter negotiated a deal with North Korea in which Pyongyang committed to freezing its burgeoning nuclear weapons program and engage in high-level negotiations with Washington. The deal didn't last because then North Korean leader Kim Il-sung met an abrupt death only a month later.

Lee Seong-hyon | 2018-06-12 16:31

Why Moon Jae-in should go to Singapore

It's paramount that President Moon Jae-in go to Singapore where the historic summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un will be held, not for the symbolism of a person who mediated their meeting, but to troubleshoot a communication gap between the couple; one is from Mars the other from Venus.

Lee Seong-hyon | 2018-05-29 16:56

True motivation for Kim's denuclearization

The world hasn't resolved the conundrum of why Kim Jong-un came out from his cave to declare a willingness for denuclearization after menacingly developing and improving his country's nuclear capability for years after he took power in late 2011.

Lee Seong-hyon | 2018-05-15 16:57

China's 'exclusion anxiety' in North Korea talks

U.S. President Donald Trump famously said that North Korea is China's problem to fix. It reflects the international community's recognition of Beijing's leverage over Pyongyang. However, China has consistently distanced itself from being identified as such, passing the buck to the United States.

Lee Seong-hyon | 2018-05-01 16:51

Kim Jong-un visiting China: reports

Washington and Beijing's perspectives on inter-Korean summit

For the last few weeks, I have travelled to Washington and Beijing, and North Korea was a major topic. While honoring the Chatham House rule, here are a few perspectives to share, pertinent to the upcoming North Korea summits with South Korea and the United States. The primary purpose is to inform North Korean leader Kim Jong-un about how the outside world really thinks about Pyongyang's current moves and, importantly, that's why this time Kim should truly take the courage to denuclearize.

Lee Seong-hyon | 2018-04-24 16:37

Advice for Kim Jong-un

As North Korean leader Kim Jong-un prepares for his upcoming two summits (inter-Korean and with the U.S.), he could use some insights from the outside world, in addition to his “in-house” consulting. The gist is twofold. One, he should be strategically committed to denuclearization this time. Two, South Korean President Moon Jae-in could be his last chance. So, Kim should grab this opportunity and chart a new course of action to be regarded as a “normal country” (as Kim wishes to be, according to interlocutors).

Lee Seong-hyon | 2018-04-17 17:09

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