Pre-summit preparations and S. Korea's possible strategy
- 5 years ago
한미정상회담 열흘 앞, 양국 사전조율 총력
With the South Korea-U.S. summit now just about ten days away, the top diplomats and negotiators of the two countries are keeping themselves busy with a series of pre-summit talks.
President Moon Jae-in today showed strong determination to keep the flame of nuclear dialogue alive,... saying neither the two Koreas, nor the U.S., wish to go back to the past.
Will the three sides be able to find an exit from the nuclear deadlock this time?
For an in-depth discussion on this issue, Dr. James Kim at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies joins us in the studio.
Thank you for coming in today.
1. Pre-summit talks are well underway. Following last week's meeting between Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her U.S. counterpart Mike Pompeo, the top nuclear envoys of Seoul and Washington are set to hold talks this week. The defense ministers of South Korea and the U.S. will also meet early Tuesday morning. How do you see the busy movements among high-ranking officials, and what issue do you think will top the agenda?
2. (Getting down to specific details...) Following the S. Korea-U.S. foreign ministers' meeting, we've learned that the two have reached a 'comprehensive agreement' and found common ground on the need for resumption of North Korea-U.S. talks. What exactly do they mean by a 'comprehensive agreement?"
3. U.S. President Trump reportedly was open to easing North Korea sanctions by means of a 'snapback' clause. Simply put, sanctions would be lifted, but also immediately re-imposed if Pyeongyang doesn't follow through on its agreement. While much attention is on what kind of cards South Korea will bring to the table to break this nuclear impasse, could the 'snapback' clause be a useful card?
4. Trump made another surprising remark on North Korea. He said that the regime is suffering greatly and additional sanctions are unnecessary at this time. How do you interpret this?
5. The mysterious chemistry between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Trump is not fading away, with Mr. Trump once again stating that Kim and himself "understand each other". But other top officials in Washington look firm on the need to continue exercising maximum pressure on the North. How do you assess Washington's somewhat confusing North Korea policy?
6. According to Reuters, Trump handed over a document to Kim Jong-un that bluntly asked Kim to transfer North's nuclear weapons and fissile material. Some point out that this could have been a major factor in the collapse of the Hanoi summit. What's your take on this report?
7. North Korea broke its long silence on the intrusion at the North Korean embassy in Spain. During an interview with a local news outlet, North Korea's foreign ministry spokesperson called it a 'grave terrorist attack' and said that North Korea is keeping a close eye on the incident. To me it sounded somewhat toned-down given the harsh rhetoric North Korea usually lashes out at the U.S. How do you see this?
8. Heavy
With the South Korea-U.S. summit now just about ten days away, the top diplomats and negotiators of the two countries are keeping themselves busy with a series of pre-summit talks.
President Moon Jae-in today showed strong determination to keep the flame of nuclear dialogue alive,... saying neither the two Koreas, nor the U.S., wish to go back to the past.
Will the three sides be able to find an exit from the nuclear deadlock this time?
For an in-depth discussion on this issue, Dr. James Kim at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies joins us in the studio.
Thank you for coming in today.
1. Pre-summit talks are well underway. Following last week's meeting between Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her U.S. counterpart Mike Pompeo, the top nuclear envoys of Seoul and Washington are set to hold talks this week. The defense ministers of South Korea and the U.S. will also meet early Tuesday morning. How do you see the busy movements among high-ranking officials, and what issue do you think will top the agenda?
2. (Getting down to specific details...) Following the S. Korea-U.S. foreign ministers' meeting, we've learned that the two have reached a 'comprehensive agreement' and found common ground on the need for resumption of North Korea-U.S. talks. What exactly do they mean by a 'comprehensive agreement?"
3. U.S. President Trump reportedly was open to easing North Korea sanctions by means of a 'snapback' clause. Simply put, sanctions would be lifted, but also immediately re-imposed if Pyeongyang doesn't follow through on its agreement. While much attention is on what kind of cards South Korea will bring to the table to break this nuclear impasse, could the 'snapback' clause be a useful card?
4. Trump made another surprising remark on North Korea. He said that the regime is suffering greatly and additional sanctions are unnecessary at this time. How do you interpret this?
5. The mysterious chemistry between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Trump is not fading away, with Mr. Trump once again stating that Kim and himself "understand each other". But other top officials in Washington look firm on the need to continue exercising maximum pressure on the North. How do you assess Washington's somewhat confusing North Korea policy?
6. According to Reuters, Trump handed over a document to Kim Jong-un that bluntly asked Kim to transfer North's nuclear weapons and fissile material. Some point out that this could have been a major factor in the collapse of the Hanoi summit. What's your take on this report?
7. North Korea broke its long silence on the intrusion at the North Korean embassy in Spain. During an interview with a local news outlet, North Korea's foreign ministry spokesperson called it a 'grave terrorist attack' and said that North Korea is keeping a close eye on the incident. To me it sounded somewhat toned-down given the harsh rhetoric North Korea usually lashes out at the U.S. How do you see this?
8. Heavy