[Editorial] Crisis collides with opportunity for Apr. 27 inter-Korean summit

outh Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon shakes hands with Ri Son-kwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, following their exchange of a joint statement after the conclusion of high-level talks at the Tongilgak building in the Panmunjeom Joint Security Area on Mar. 29. (Photo Pool)

During the high-level talks that were held in Panmunjeom on Mar. 29, South and North Korea settled on Apr. 27 as the date for the summit between Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un. South Korean officials reportedly suggested multiple dates for the summit, including Apr. 26 and 27, and Apr. 27 was chosen in the following discussion. With the date settled, the task that now remains is making every preparation so that the meeting can be a success.

Apr. 27, the date chosen for the summit, is consistent with the agreement to hold the summit at the end of April at the House of Peace, on the South Korean side of the Panmunjeom Joint Security Area. This was the agreement that was reached when a South Korean special delegation met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during its visit to Pyongyang at the beginning of March. Negotiators likely considered that it will obviously take time to hammer out the details of the summit agenda, as well as to renovate the House of Peace. Another likely consideration was the timing of the “Foal Eagle” joint military exercises between South Korea and the US, which will start on Apr. 1 and continue for four weeks.

Not only the date of the summit but also its agenda was a topic of considerable interest during the high-level meeting. Considering that Unification Minister Cho Myoung-Gyon, who represented South Korea in the meeting, said that the South and North shared the view that the inter-Korean summit would have major historical significance for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the establishment of peace and the development of inter-Korean relations, it seems clear that these three things will be key points on the summit agenda.

While the topic of denuclearization is too grave a matter for a final decision to be reached during the inter-Korean summit, it is critical for South and North Korea to exchange views and reach an understanding so that a significant agreement can be reached during the North Korea-US summit in May. Since the two sides agreed to hold another high-level meeting to adjust the agenda in mid-April if necessary, we hope that the agenda will be effectively coordinated through subsequent meetings and behind-the-scene negotiations.

If the inter-Korean summit is held on Apr. 27 as was decided during this meeting, it will be the first such summit in 10 years and six months, since Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Jong-il met in Oct. 2007. While both of the previous inter-Korean summits have been very significant, the Apr. 27 summit will be the meeting that determines the fate of the Korean Peninsula. Not only is it largely aimed at laying the groundwork for the first North Korea-US summit in history, but positive developments could culminate in a meeting among the leaders of South Korea, North Korea and the US.

Since the inter-Korean summit will be held at a time when crisis collides with opportunity, its success is likely to create “a historical change in the world,” in the words of South Korean President Moon Jae-in. South and North Korea breezed through the high-level talks in an congenial mood with springtime in the air. We can only hope that this mood will continue until the day of the summit and lead to a sweeping agreement that transforms the Korean Peninsula.

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