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US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim (left) and North Korean vice foreign minister Choe Son-hui have been engaged in working-level talks for the June 12 North Korea-US summit in Singapore since May 27 at Unification House (Tongilgak) on the North Korean side of Panmunjeom. (Yonhap News)
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US team led by Sung Kim, North Korean side by Choe Son-hui
North Korea and the US reportedly engaged in working-level negotiations on June 2 and again on June 3 with the goal of coordinating the agenda of the North Korea-US summit, scheduled to be held in Singapore on June 12. After North Korean Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and director of the WPK United Front Department, met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in New York and US President Donald Trump in Washington, the teams of negotiators in Panmunjeom appear to be picking up the pace as well. On June 3, the team of American negotiators led by US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim reportedly left their hotel in downtown Seoul and headed for Unification House (Tongilgak) on the North Korean side of Panmunjeom to continue their talks with North Korea. The press captured footage of a vehicle carrying Allison Hooker, director for Korea on the White House National Security Council, and Randall Schriver, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs, leaving their accommodations at 1:10 pm and in transit. It appears that Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui once again led the North Korean team of negotiators. The previous day, North Korea and the US met for the third round of negotiations at Unification House. The first and second rounds of negotiations took place on May 27 and May 30. After several meetings held three days apart, two consecutive days of meetings have led analysts to conclude that the negotiators have launched concrete negotiations about the agenda of the North Korea-US summit, based on the outcomes of Kim Yong-chol’s meetings with Pompeo and with Trump. “It’s fair to say that the deliberations in New York and Panmunjeom are being carried out in tandem, since they are both about the agenda of the North Korea-US summit,” said a diplomatic source who is familiar with North Korea-US relations. Considering that Trump emphasized that negotiations with North Korea are a “process” in the press conference following his meeting with Kim Yong-chol on June 1, the negotiators at Panmunjeom are likely seeking a compromise on the concessions that will be acceptable to both sides at the present stage. Considering that even foreign policy experts regard Trump’s remarks “as reflecting the realistic view that the denuclearization issue cannot be resolved in one fell swoop,” the prediction that more concrete discussions will ensue as the Americans back off their insistence on a “all-in-one” deal that must be implemented immediately is gaining more credence. By Kim Ji-eun, staff reporter Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
