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Chung Eui-Yong, director of the Blue House National Security Office, leaves the Walkerhill Hotel following his meeting with Kim Yong-chol, KWP Vice Chairman, on Feb. 26. Chung had lunch with Kim and discussed the security situation around the Korean Peninsula and about relations with neighboring countries. (Yonhap News)
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Representatives are discussing how to bring about bilateral US-North Korean dialogue
On Feb. 26, the second day of his visit to South Korea, Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of the North Korean Workers' Party’s (KWP) Central Committee, reportedly did not leave the hotel where he is staying in Seoul while meeting with a wide range of senior officials from South Korea’s foreign policy and security establishments. While it is unusual for high-ranking North Korean officials on an official visit to South Korea to take part in closed-door deliberations without a public itinerary, the apparent objective was for South and North Korea to share information about the latest developments, including recent movements by the four major powers around the Korean Peninsula, and to discuss in detail each other’s plans and approaches for bringing about North Korea-US dialogue. The only part of Kim’s schedule on Feb. 26 that was made public was his luncheon with the director of the Blue House National Security Office, Chung Eui-yong. “The two sides had a candid discussion about the situation around the Korean Peninsula and about relations with four countries, namely, the US, China, Japan and Russia. [South and North Korea] were in agreement about the importance of cooperation among these four countries,” a senior Blue House official said during a meeting with reporters late in the afternoon. South Korean officials appear to have focused on pointing out that President Moon Jae-in is doing his best to persuade these four countries to create the mood for North Korea-US dialogue and on asking the North to be more proactive in seeking dialogue with the US. “Chung Eui-yong mostly explained to Kim Yong-chol that President Moon has been working to repair relations with our neighbors since he took office. Chung specifically shared how President Moon has established trust with US President Donald Trump during the course of their four official summits and during one personal phone call each month, which has created the mood for dialogue,” a senior Blue House official said. For his part, Kim reportedly responded by praising Moon for his efforts and saying, “The door is open for dialogue with the US. We have said several times that we’re willing to talk with the US.” President Moon underscores need for North Korea to denuclearize Chung and Kim’s luncheon is regarded as a step toward implementing Moon’s plan to mediate between North Korea and the US not only by delivering messages between the two sides but also by serving to narrow the gap between them. During his meeting with Kim in Pyeongchang on Feb. 25, Moon reportedly underscored the need for North Korea’s denuclearization. “[President Moon] told [Kim Yong-chol] not only that the North needs to denuclearize but also about methodology, or the methods it must choose to denuclearize,” the senior Blue House official said. Considering that the solution to the North Korean nuclear issue that Moon has advocated is a two-step plan beginning with a freeze on the North’s nuclear program and ending with that program’s dismantlement, the “methodology” that he explained to Kim likely consisted of this plan. During the luncheon, which began at 12:30 and lasted for two hours, South Korea was represented by Chung Eui-yong; Nam Gwan-pyo, the second deputy director of the Blue House’s National Security Office; Chun Hae-sung, Vice Minister of Unification; and Lee Do-hoon, senior envoy to the Six-Party Talks on North Korea’s denuclearization and the Foreign Ministry’s special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs. North Korean officials at the luncheon included Kim Yong-chol and Ri Son-gwon, chair of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland. Lee Do-hoon’s attendance at the luncheon raised eyebrows. Prior to this, North Korea has refused to discuss its nuclear program with the South, insisting that the program is a matter concerning it and the US. As a consequence, officials from South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs have hardly ever attended inter-Korean dialogue. And since North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, which handles international affairs, has been excluded from inter-Korean dialogue, it was also unusual for the luncheon to include Choe Kang-il, the deputy director-general for North American affairs at North Korea’s Foreign Ministry and a member of the North’s high-ranking delegation that arrived in South Korea on Feb. 25. South Korea to send senior official to US to report on results of inter-Korean dialogue It was not confirmed whether Lee Do-hoon and Choe Kang-il created a separate channel for deliberations on Feb. 26. But a senior official from South Korea’s Foreign Ministry – perhaps Lee Do-hoon or Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha – is reportedly planning to visit the US soon to discuss the results of the North Korean high-ranking delegation’s visit to South Korea, and some believe that this could help build a bridge between the two sides. If South and North Korea’s Foreign Ministries established a channel for deliberations at this juncture, this may indicate that South and North Korea are laying the groundwork for North Korea-US dialogue. But the assessment in the government is that South and North Korea are still at the stage of “exploratory dialogue.” Even though South and North Korea have sat down together, one government official said, they are still “walking on eggshells” and “fighting a battle of nerves.” “The fact that Kim Yong-chol was sent means that North Korea has talks with the US in mind, not inter-Korean dialogue. Kim appears to be looking into the details,” said another expert on inter-Korean relations. Experts believe that this will be an opportunity for the North Korean delegation to learn the US and South Korea’s true intentions and for South Korea to gauge the possibility of deliberations about North Korea’s denuclearization. By Kim Ji-eun, Kim Bo-hyeop and Noh Ji-won, staff reporters Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
