hankyoreh

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump

Activity at the Blue House has picked up once again after a decision on the date and venue for an upcoming North Korea-US summit, which is expected to prove pivotal for the Korean Peninsula’s denuclearization and establishment of a peace regime. While Pyongyang and Washington have been in more frequent contact to ensure a successful summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump, Seoul continues to play a crucial role as the “mediator” that brought the current situation about – and to make preparations for the new state of affairs once the summit occurs.

According to accounts from sources on May 11, President Moon Jae-in and his Blue House advisors have begun examining how to pursue the “trilateral or quadrilateral meetings with a view to declaring an end to the [Korean] war and establishing a permanent and solid peace regime” that the South and North Korean leaders agreed to hold in their “Panmunjeom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula,” assuming the North Korea-US summit is a success.

A hotline set up between the offices of the South and North Korean leaders is expected to begin service once some progress has been made in this direction. The first call between the two is expected to come ahead of a South Korea-US summit scheduled to take place in Washington, DC, on May 22. The initial plan was to immediately hold a historic meeting among the South and North Korean and US leaders if the North Korea-US summit was held at Panmunjeom, but that plan had to be modified.

“There will be a call shortly between the South and North Korean leaders,” a Blue House senior official said. Previously, Blue House officials had said that the call might take place after the North Korea-US summit schedule was announced, adding that there would “have to be a subject to discuss with Chairman Kim.”

Ahead of talking to Trump, President Moon appears likely to speak to Kim about his vision for after the North Korea-US summit. If the South and North Korean leaders’ conversation does not go to plan, the matter may be discussed at high-level inter-Korean talks predicted for mid-May.

“Matters regarding the North Korea-US summit are scheduled to be discussed mainly at National Security Council meetings, while the Panmunjeom Declaration implementation committee will be holding discussions in its subcommittee areas,” a Blue House senior official said.

Inter-Korean meetings to discuss relaxing military tensions and eliminating the threat of war that are not tied to the outcome of the North Korea-US summit are expected to go ahead as originally scheduled.

Also likely to be decided through inter-Korean discussions are the date for the May shutdown of the northern nuclear test site (Punggye Village) announced by Kim during the Apr. 27 Panmunjeom summit and the means of making it public. North Korea has said it will invite experts and journalists from South Korea and the US to observe the closure to increase the transparency of the process.

President Moon Jae-in presides over a cabinet meeting on May 8. (provided by Blue House)

President Moon’s diplomatic schedule around the time of the North Korea-US summit is jam-packed. He is seen as likely to attend the G7 summit taking place in Canada on June 8–9. While South Korea is not a G7 member, it has been invited by Canada as host country and is eligible to take part as an observer if the other member countries agree.

The group typically discusses economic issues, but with the meeting scheduled ahead of the North Korea-US summit, Korean Peninsula issues are seen as likely to be a major topic, and member countries leaders may be interested in hearing from President Moon himself on his long-term vision.

A South Korea-Russia summit is likely to take place in late June, when the World Cup is being held in Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended an invitation, which President Moon has no reason to decline. As one of the countries in the Six-Party Talks to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, Russia is likely to take part in any Northeast Asian multilateral security body formed once the Korean Peninsula is denuclearized and a peace agreement signed. A North Korea-Russia summit may also be scheduled around the same time as the North Korea-US summit.

By Kim Bo-hyeop, staff reporter

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