Kim Jong-un agrees to visit Seoul within the year

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook join North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and first lady Ri Sol-ju for a luncheon at a Pyongyang restaurant on Sept. 19. (photo pool)

Would be first ever visit to South Korean capital by North Korean leader since division

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to a Seoul visit by Kim in their “September Pyongyang Joint Declaration” on Sept. 19.

President Moon also narrowed the timeline to “within this year, barring any exceptional circumstances.” Kim now appears increasingly likely to become the first North Korean leader to set foot in the South Korean capital since the Korean Peninsula’s division.

Speaking in a joint summit press conference that day at the Paekhwawon Guest House, Kim said he had “promised President Moon Jae-in that I will be visiting Seoul in the near future.”

President Moon added that he had “requested that Chairman Kim visit Seoul, and Chairman Kim agreed to visit Seoul in the near future.”

“‘In the near future’ here means within the year, barring exceptional circumstances,” he explained.

Clause 6 of the Pyongyang Joint Declaration states that Kim “agreed to visit Seoul at an early date at the invitation of President Moon Jae-in.”

South Korean President Moon Jae-in presents the commemorative coins for the Apr. 27 inter-Korean summit and the June 12 North Korea-US summit to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at a Pyongyang restaurant on Sept. 19. (photo pool)

The decision to pay a return visit to Seoul was made by Kim. Meeting with reporters in Pyongyang, Moon Chung-in, South Korean special presidential advisor on unification, foreign affairs, and national security, explained, “One of the major figures in North Korea’s United Front Department said that ‘everyone else opposed it’ and that it was ‘completely an independent decision by Chairman Kim.’”

“They appear to have been that concerned,” he added.

Moon went on to say that Kim “made quite a difficult decision, and our president offered his encouragement.”

If the visit does come to pass, Kim will be the first North Korean head of state to visit Seoul in the 70 years since Korea’s division. While he did cross the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and visit the Peace House on the South Korean side of Panmunjom during an Apr. 27 summit, he remained inside of the Joint Security Area (JSA) at the time.

Mutual visits of both leaders set to become regular occurrence

Moon stressed the significance of Kim’s Seoul visit, noting that it would “be the first visit by a North Korean leader and provide a historic turning point for inter-Korean relations.”

Institute of National Unification Director Kim Yeon-chul said, “Coming after President Moon’s Pyongyang visit, this signifies that mutual visits are becoming a regular occurrence and that South and North are proceeding toward a fully normal relationship.”

An agreement on a Seoul visit by the North Korean leader was previously reached at the 2000 inter-Korean summit, but failed to transpire due to issues with then-leader Kim Jong-il’s security and worsening ties between Pyongyang and Washington.

“Kim Yong-sun, the Workers’ Party of Korea secretary for South Korea affairs, did come to the South for a survey, but he did not feel confident about Chairman Kim’s personal safety,” explained former Minister of Unification Jeong Se-hyun.

“North Korea also proposed a second summit in Vladivostok in late 2002, but we told them it would not be possible,” Jeong added.

The prospects of a South Korea visit drifted farther away as the George W. Bush administration labeled North Korea as part of an “Axis of Evil” and backed out of its 1994 Geneva Agreed Framework with the North. No agreement on a return visit by Kim was made at the time of the 2007 inter-Korean summit.

“Chairman Kim [Jong-il] was not strongly committed to visiting Seoul,” said Kim Yeon-chul.

But analysts say the likelihood of Kim Jong-un visiting Seoul are higher this time around, with the two leaders having already established trust at a human level through their three summits to date.

“Judging from Kim Jong-un’s open, pragmatic style, this visit is likely going to happen,” Kim Yeon-chul said.

Some observers suggested the key question may be how far Seoul can go to accommodate the visit. In particular, the growing ideological conflict within the South over the issue of a Seoul visit by Kim could pose some obstacles.

Blue House hopes visit could accelerate process to end Korean War

The Blue House is also hoping Kim’s Seoul visit could be an opportunity for the two sides to join the US in declaring an end to the Korean War.

“If there’s an end-of-war declaration during Chairman Kim’s Seoul visit, that would be the icing on the cake,” said a key Blue House official.

“But that’s a matter that will require serious discussions with President Donald Trump,” the official added.

By Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporter

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