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US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim (left) and North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui are set to meet from May 27 to 29 at Unification House (Tongilgak) on the North Korean side of Panmunjeom for agenda negotiations in preparation for the June 12 North Korea-US summit in Singapore.

It is very fortunate that North Korea and the US are holding working-level talks at Panmunjeom to coordinate the agenda of the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump and that there are signs that a meeting will be held in Singapore to discuss the summit’s schedule, security and protocol.

Trump and the US State Department confirmed on May 27 that the American delegation has begun coordinating the summit agenda with a North Korean delegation at Unification House (Tongilgak) on the North Korean side of Panmunjeom. On May 28, North Korea also sent Kim Chang-son, deputy director of the National Defense Commission, to Singapore to discuss security and protocol for the summit. It looks as if Kim Chang-son will meet with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joseph Hagin, who has already departed from Washington.

While the final decision has yet to be made about whether the Trump-Kim summit will be held on June 12, it is encouraging that North Korea and the US have begun “two-track” negotiations in Panmunjeom and Singapore that are aimed at pulling off the “talks of the century.” We hope that these negotiations will lead to the confirmation of the Trump-Kim summit, which was pulled back from the brink by the surprise inter-Korean summit.

In particular, our hope is that North Korea and the US will be able to ease their mutual distrust and concerns during agenda negotiations that are taking place for three days (from May 27 to 29) at Unification House between North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim.

The US has been asking North Korea to make a definite promise about complete denuclearization and to carry out that promise. There have even been reports in the foreign press that the US wants the North to quickly ship its nuclear warheads (it is estimated to have as many as 20) out of the country. In contrast, North Korea has reportedly not yet received a final answer from the US about the definite security guarantee the North wants in exchange for denuclearization. This security guarantee would include the cessation of the US’s hostile military and diplomatic policies and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two sides.

These working-level talks must provide an opportunity for the US to confirm North Korea’s determination to carry out complete denuclearization and the method of doing so and for the North to confirm the US’s plan for a security guarantee. Even if they are unable to reach a perfect compromise, these talks must be a chance for the two sides to build trust through candid dialogue. They must serve as a stepping stone for Trump and Kim to make a courageous decision during the “talks of the century.”

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]