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Blue House National Security Office director Chung Eui-yong shakes hands with White House National Security Advisor John Bolton at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 4. (Blue House)
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Director of the Office of National Security establishes plans to “closely coordinate” through “various channels” to ensure summit’s success
The Blue House said on May 17 that it plans to serve as an active mediator for the success of a North Korea-US summit scheduled to take place next month. The message signals that Seoul plans to work to bridge the two sides, which have recently run into a rough patch in their previous smooth negotiations. During a National Security Council (NSC) meeting presided over by Office of National Security director Chung Eui-yong that day, the Blue House established plans to “closely coordinate positions between South Korea and the US and between South and North Korea through various channels to ensure the successful holding of the coming North Korea-US summit in a spirit of mutual respect,” spokesperson Kim Eui-kyum reported. Just a day earlier, the Blue House gave a circumspect response to North Korea’s unilateral postponement of scheduled high-level inter-Korean talks and a statement credited to North Korean first vice minister of foreign affairs Kim Kye-gwan denouncing the US, which it referred to as “the pains that go into a producing a good outcome.” With the decision on May 17, it opted instead for active intervention. The Blue House has emphasized “empathy” as a tool in mediation. “There appears to have been some kind of difference in official opinion as North Korea and the US have pursued the talks, and resolving those differences requires a willingness to see things from each other’s perspective,” a Blue House senior official said. As a first step, President Moon appears likely to share North Korea’s concerns in a summit with US President Donald Trump in Washington on May 22. “For North Korea, the key thing is that they’re putting everything on the line and taking a risk, and they want the best assurance of their regime’s security. This is what President Moon plans to explain at the South Korea-US summit,” a Blue House senior official said. Chung is also reported to have stressed this point in a May 16 telephone conversation with White House National Security Advisor John Bolton. The Blue House also said it was relaying the US’s position and opinions to Pyongyang over various dialogue channels. Meanwhile, the NSC made plans to continue discussions with the North on the smooth implementation of the Panmunjeom Declaration and the swift holding of high-level inter-Korean talks, along with preparations for a May 23–25 visit to observe the closure of the North’s Punggye Village nuclear test site and a joint event for the anniversary of the Inter-Korean Joint Declaration on June 15, 2000. By Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporter Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
