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South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrives at the Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, DC, on May 21. (Blue House photo pool)
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Experts predict the success of the North Korea-US summit and restoration of inter-Korean relations rests on Moon’s meeting with Trump
On the afternoon of May 21, South Korean President Moon Jae-in embarked on a trip to the US. His trip is designed to stabilize the situation on the Korean Peninsula, which has been on a rollercoaster over the past few weeks, and to get things laid out during the inter-Korean summit at Panmunjeom on Apr. 27 back on track. At noon on May 22, President Moon will have a summit with US President Donald Trump, after which they will have an expanded summit over lunch with their official retinues, largely consisting of figures from the two countries’ foreign policy and security establishments. This will be the fourth summit between Moon and Trump. There is only one item on the agenda to be discussed by Moon and Trump: the strategy for the North Korea-US summit that will be held in Singapore on June 12. During their meeting, the two leaders are likely to analyze why the always unpredictable North Korea has abruptly returned to a hardline posture and share ideas about the conditions for a successful summit and the big picture for after the summit. With North Korea putting intense pressure on the American and South Korean governments and even mentioning that it might “reconsider” the summit with the US on May 16, President Moon is embarking for the US while burdened with the serious challenge of mediating between North Korea and the US. Experts predict that the success of the North Korea-US summit and the possibility of restoring inter-Korean relations rest on Moon and Trump’s summit. “This South Korea-US summit is significant as a chance to overcome the disagreements inside the US, between North Korea and the US, and between South Korea and the US. This meeting will decide the fate of the North Korea-US summit and the future of inter-Korean relations,” Koo Kab-woo, professor at the University of North Korean Studies. Recent remarks by White House National Security Advisor John Bolton about the Libya model for nuclear disarmament triggered an immediate backlash from North Korea, and the White House has apparently been moderating its rhetoric by referring to the “Trump model” and the “Korean model.” There are also signs of division inside the US about the method of resolving the North Korean nuclear issue. In essence, it is necessary for Moon, as mediator, to soothe the US’s impatience about dealing with all problems during a single summit with the North. South Korea’s role should be “toning down” hardline rhetoric of US The US’s stance toward the method of North Korea’s denuclearization and a security guarantee for its regime appears to be different not only from North Korea’s stance but also from South Korea’s. This is evidenced by South Korea and the US’s last-minute adjustment of a joint military exercise that was supposed to include B-52 bombers, an American strategic nuclear asset. “We need to keep putting the brakes on efforts in the US to expand the agenda to include chemical and biological weapons and human rights issues. [South Korea and the US] also need to reach an agreement about the details of denuclearization, and we need to persuade the US to at least ban the deployment of American strategic nuclear assets to the Korean Peninsula,” Koo said. “North Korea was impressed by the fact that South Korea emphasized that there must be no war on the Korean Peninsula when the US was talking about the military option last year. Once again, South Korea’s role should be toning down the hardline rhetoric coming out of the US,” said Kim Joon-hyung, professor at Handong Global University. “North Korea’s recent requests for a security guarantee for the regime and the elimination of military threats are identical to the request for the US to end its hostile policy toward the North that it has made for decades, and there is nothing new about them. This needs to be explained to President Trump, and he needs to be persuaded to keep his summit with the North from falling apart,” said a diplomatic source who is familiar with North Korea-US relations. By Kim Bo-hyeop, Noh Ji-won and Kim Ji-eun, staff reporters Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
