[Courtesy of presidential Blue House]
SEOUL -- An unprecedented summit between North Korea and the United States appears to be back on track, helped by South Korean President Moon Jae-in's active shuttle diplomacy to rid the divided Korean peninsula of nuclear threats and more than six decades of Cold War confrontation.
Moon opened a new era of inter-Korean peace and rapprochement at talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in April in the truce village of Panmunjom, the symbol of division. That meeting paved the way for historic talks between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump on June 12 in Singapore.
However, uncertainties grew after North Korea suspended inter-Korean talks on May 16, blasting an annual two-week exercise by U.S. and South Korean warplanes. The North also threatened to reconsider the summit in Singapore if it comes under unilateral pressure to abandon its nuclear program.
Pyongyang expressed displeasure with what it perceived as Washington's high-handed approach and insisted it already possesses nuclear weapons. Kim appeared to have favored phased and synchronous steps that raised suspicions among U.S. officials about Pyongyang's true intentions.
Aware of urgency, Moon flew into Washington for quick talks with Trump to remove skepticism over Pyongyang's commitment to denuclearization, playing a role as a mediator between the two countries, and North Korea showed its goodwill by going ahead with the demolition of its nuclear test site as the first step toward denuclearization. But Trump called off the Singapore summit, dampening Moon's hectic diplomacy.
In a bid to reinstate the summit in Singapore, Kim again asked for Moon's mediation and held the second inter-Korean summit in Panmunjom on Saturday to clarify his strong will to achieve complete denuclearization and establish peace on the Korean peninsula.
There were no clear words from Trump, but he rewarded Moon's efforts with his promise to consider reinstating the June 12 meeting as originally planned. "We're looking at June 12th in Singapore. That hasn't changed," Trump told reporters at the White House. "And it's moving along pretty well, so we'll see what happens."
"I just want to mention, we're doing very well in terms of the summit with North Korea," Trump said. "Looks like it's going along very well. ... I think people want to see if we can get the meeting and get something done."
Moon said the second inter-Korean summit was aimed at reviving the canceled meeting in Singapore, which is "absolutely" needed to improve inter-Korean ties. "Our journey towards denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and a permanent peace regime can never be stopped," he said.
Trump is ready to provide a security guarantee and economic help if North Korea achieve denuclearization, but Kim was not sure of Trump's commitment due to lack of direct dialogue, Moon said.
Kim was worried that once North Korea realizes denuclearization, Trump can give a firm and trustful pledge to end hostilities and guarantee the regime's security, Moon said, suggesting Pyongyang and Washington should confirm their will through direct talks because there is a different roadmap over how to achieve denuclearization.
"The road to complete denuclearization and peace on the Korean peninsula will never be smooth," Moon said.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
