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Apr. 26. It was the first time since the command was set up in 1978 that the presidents of both countries have visited together. (Blue House photo pool)

By Kim Oi-hyun and Lee Yong-in, staff reporters

Experts are calling last week’s South Korea-US summit in Seoul a “missed opportunity.”

In particular, they pointed to the two-day event on Apr. 25 and 26 as a sacrificed last chance to stop Pyongyang from ratcheting up tensions with another nuclear test, while voicing disappointment over the focus on stern security measures and deterrence over suggested solutions.

In terms of format, experts expressed puzzlement over the “strange” decision to present the results of the summit between South Korean President Park Geun-hye and US President Barack Obama in the form of a “Joint Fact Sheet” issued by the government just after the meeting.

Typically, the items discussed at summits are presented to the public in the form of a joint statement, or at the very least a joint press release. Last week’s summit, in contrast, saw only the release of a document listing various facts.

“If you’ve just had a summit, you need to say what it focused on, what the two countries agreed and differed on,” said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies. “With this one, we have no way of knowing those things.”

“It makes no sense at an important time like this for them to release the results in the form of a simple ‘explanation’ - and by the leaders, not working-level staff,” Yang added.

In terms of content, many experts agreed that the summit merely confirmed the existence of issues with North Korea and its nuclear program rather than presenting possible solutions - and that some of the results could even make the problem worse. Without any reference to dialogue or diplomatic solutions, the document focuses squarely on stronger military cooperation in response to North Korea’s nuclear testing, which is seen as a foregone conclusion.

Indeed, both the Joint Fact Sheet and the press conference by Park and Obama were focused almost entirely on defense issues: another possible delay of the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to South Korea, stronger joint military exercises, an emphasis on the importance of military intelligence sharing with Japan, and stronger interoperability of the two countries’ missile defense systems.

“The concern here is that this could make North Korea even more motivated and committed to nuclear testing or additional provocations, rather than stopping them,” said Chang Yong-seok, senior researcher at the Seoul National University Institute for Peace and Unification Studies.

“This just gives North Korea more of an excuse to engage in provocations,” he warned.

Lee Hye-jeong, a professor of political science and international relations at Chung-Ang University, said Seoul and Washington had “already given up on the six-party talks [on the nuclear issue] and begun their military response.”

“The US and China are just going to keep passing the ball back and forth, and that could go on for some time,” Lee predicted.

Many analysts also said Washington failed to commit itself to a position on the historical revisionism of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his administration, which is the chief cause of the current chill between Seoul and Tokyo.

Kyungnam University professor Kim Geun-sik released an “Institute for Far Eastern Studies assessment” concluding that “no improvements have been made to the strained ties between South Korea and Japan by reining in Japan’s excesses.”

“At a joint press conference with the US, Prime Minister Abe had no scruples about making an argument justifying him paying respects at Yasukuni Shrine,” Kim added, referring to a controversial shrine in Tokyo commemorating Japan‘s war dead, including war criminals.

Speaking at the press conference after the summit in Seoul, Obama did reference the issue of the drafting of so-called “comfort women” to serve as sexual slaves for the Japanese military, calling it a “terrible, egregious violation of human rights.” But many said the comments were too little, too late.

Meanwhile, on Apr. 27, North Korea harshly criticized Park for the results of the summit with Obama, calling her a “bitch”, “prostitute” and “cold-blooded animal”.

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