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On July 12

July 12 marked one month since the June 12 North Korea-US summit in Singapore. With no visible signs of progress in relations between the two sides, the giddy post-summit mood seems to have subsided somewhat. Scheduled bilateral working-level talks on July 12 for the repatriation of US POW and MIA remains ended up not taking place when North Korea failed to show up.

The discussions on the remains’ return were something US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced as having been agreed upon with the North during a visit on July 6–7.

Things seemed to be looking up again after recent controversy surrounding the turbulence in North Korea-US negotiations. The US government had accepted North Korea's proposal to reconnect direct communication lines to recover a North Korea-US hotline and to hold high-level military talks at Panmunjeom on July 15

At the summit a month ago, the two sides reached a historic agreement covering four major areas: establishing a new bilateral relationship, building a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, complete denuclearization of the peninsula, and repatriation of US POW and MIA remains.

In terms of trends to date, there have been no signs of progress on any of the areas in the agreement. It should be noted that there haven’t been any provocative acts from North Korea since the summit, and with the suspension of joint South Korea-US military exercises, the three sides have continued working toward peace. At the same time, it’s also true that North Korea-US relations haven’t progressed as hoped. Both North Korea and the US will need to work harder at preserving the momentum for talks.

Part of the reason relations haven’t been progressing is because of Washington’s failure to give a clear answer on the matter of declaring the end of the Korean War. In the Apr. 27 Panmunjeom Declaration and June 12 North Korea-US Joint Statement, it was promised that such a declaration would be pursued within the year. It’s also something the US could resolve at any time if it made up its mind to do so. One of the reasons Pyongyang places such an emphasis on the declaration is that it has the effect of a transitional guarantee on its own regime security.

If the US isn’t going to be proactive about this issue, then the South Korean government needs to. President Moon Jae-in’s message about a war-ending declaration within the year being “our administration’s goal” may be a sign that he views the issue as being just that important.

At a time like the present where Pyongyang and Washington are having such differences of opinion on the timetable for denuclearization and corresponding measures, it’s the Seoul administration’s role to bridge that gap as mediators and catalysts. Some have been talking about South and North Korea and the US possibly making the declaration at the UN General Assembly in September; that would certainly be great. Seoul needs to focus its energies on talking to Washington and Pyongyang to make the declaration happen as quickly as possible.

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