[In the past few days, envoys from both sides of the divided peninsula have agreed to goodwill gestures. Military talks are planned for June 14 in the truce village of Panmunjom, and discussions on holding reunions for families separated by the Korean War more than 60 years ago are set for June 22 in the North’s Mount Kumgang resort.]
By Brian Murphy and Michelle Ye
Hee Lee
 |
|
President
Trump and Kim Yong Chol, former North Korean military intelligence chief
and
one of leader Kim Jong Un's closest aides, walk out of the Oval Office after
a
meeting on Friday. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
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SEOUL
— South Korea gave a major
sigh of relief Saturday after the White House revived plans for a landmark
summit with North Korea that has already stirred new openings between Seoul and
Kim Jong Un’s regime.
A statement from South Korea’s presidential
Blue House said, “The road to a summit between North Korea and the United
States appears to have expanded and strengthened” after a top envoy for Kim
held meetings in Washington with President Trump on Friday and hand-delivered a
letter from the North Korean leader.
“We will excitedly, but calmly, look forward
to their historic meeting in Singapore,” said a spokesman for South Korean
President Moon Jae-in.
The South Korean reaction is also notable for
what it leaves out. South Korea has been cautious not to set clear expectations
for the planned June 12 summit in Singapore between Trump and Kim. There are
too many potential pitfalls, led by how far the North is willing to make
concessions over its nuclear program in exchange for a possible easing of
economic sanctions and other incentives from the United States and allies such
as South Korea.
Moon has staked his political credibility on
being a key broker between Kim and the Trump administration. After Trump said
last week that he was cancelling the summit, the South Korean president’s
outreach included a hastily arranged face-to-face meeting with Kim.
In the past few days, envoys from both sides
of the divided peninsula have agreed to goodwill gestures. Military talks are
planned for June 14 in the truce village of Panmunjom, and discussions on
holding reunions for families separated by the Korean War more than 60 years
ago are set for June 22 in the North’s Mount Kumgang resort.
At a gathering of defense chiefs in
Singapore, South Korea’s defense minister, Song Young-moo, also planned
Saturday to emphasize the South’s peace efforts to an audience that included
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and military officials from China, which is deeply
involved in North Korea as the country’s chief economic lifeline.
There was no immediate reaction from North
Korea’s tightly controlled state media after the meetings in Washington between
Trump and Kim’s personal liaison, Kim Yong Chol, the vice chairman of the
central committee for the North’s ruling party. But contrasting messages have
emerged from the North in recent days amid the scramble to save the summit.
After talks with a South Korean team, the
North’s chief negotiator, Ri Son-gwon, described both nations as “the wheels
that move the cart forward” toward peace, according to the South’s official
Yonhap news agency. On Thursday, meanwhile, the North Korean leader Kim
complained to Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, about “U.S. hegemonism”
and suggested he wanted to expand ties with Moscow as a buffer against
Washington.
Any hints of greater cooperation between
Kim’s regime and Moscow could set off alarms in the Trump administration and
bring new complications to the planned summit.
On Friday, China welcomed the prospect of
greater Russian involvement in North Korea. “It plays an important role in
maintaining peace and stability in the region and advocates a peaceful and
diplomatic solution of the Korean Peninsula’s nuclear issue,” Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing.
Joel Wit, who follows North Korean affairs as
a senior fellow at the Washington-based Stimson Center, said Pyongyang knows
that any economic advances will come mostly from countries in the region rather
than from possible U.S. aid or investment if peace efforts move forward.
“That’s the whole game,” Wit said. “North
Korea is looking out for its security concerns. This is what it wants from the
U.S. It’s not yet about the economy. That will come from the countries like
South Korea and China. This summit is mostly about security for the North.”
Mattis, at the Singapore defense conference,
said Trump will not discuss any possible reductions in U.S. troop levels in
South Korea at the summit with Kim. Mattis said such talks about could be held
later with South Korea if the summit makes progress in Washington’s view.
In Seoul, about two dozens protesters
gathered outside the U.S. Embassy, calling for a permanent end to U.S. military
exercises and a peace treaty between the United States and North Korea.
Trump is taking a “two-track” approach toward
North Korea, the protesters said. Despite Trump’s willingness to meet with Kim,
the United States continues to hold military drills with South Korea, they
said.
“This is the time to pursue peace,” one
protester demanded through a megaphone, “but the United States continues to
pursue military exercises.”
There was no immediate Chinese reaction after
the summit plans were back in motion. Beijing has previously signaled, however,
that it wanted the summit to go ahead.
Though the official response from China’s
foreign ministry has been restrained, the Communist Party-controlled press has
been critical of the U.S. side for the “roller coaster” of the last few months
— both on trade and North Korea.
“The on-off-on roller-coaster has exposed a
shocking lack of seriousness and preparedness on the U.S. side, particularly on
Trump’s part, as to how to seize such a rare opportunity to ease the tensions
on the Korean Peninsula,” wrote Chen Weihua, Washington correspondent for China
Daily, in an English-language opinion piece.
Earlier this week, the Global Times, a
Party-controlled newspaper known for its strident nationalism, ran a piece
headlined: “Waffling on summit dents U.S. image.”
Chinese experts remain skeptical that Trump
and Kim will reach a sweeping deal by June 12. “The twists and turns over the
past week are evidence that these working level talks aren’t going smoothly,”
said Cui Zhiying, director of Korean Peninsula Studies at Asia Pacific Research
Center at Shanghai’s Tongji University.
Amber Ziye Wang in Beijing contributed to
this report.
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