US move before Pyongyang meeting raises concerns

The third summit between the leaders of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea is another sign that, despite the apparent diplomatic standstill between Pyongyang and Washington, things remain on track between the Koreas. As long as this momentum is maintained, hopes for broader detente on the Korean Peninsula will remain high. And if this is the yardstick for assessing the third summit between Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in, there is little reason for it to not succeed.

Since DPRK leader Kim Jong-un and ROK President Moon Jaein signed the Panmunjom Joint Declaration on April 27, relations between the Koreas have proceeded generally smoothly according to that script. Moon’s ongoing visit to Pyongyang, like his meeting with Kim, is also part of that historic agreement.

Article II of the Joint Declaration vows to ease military tensions and eliminate risks of war through joint efforts, and by agreeing to cease “all kinds of hostile acts” on land, sea, and in the air. Carrying this spirit forward, Moon said on Thursday that “bringing an end” to accidental skirmishes and lingering tensions is his top priority.

Pyongyang is equally eager for closer engagement with Seoul, and stated in its earlier message to Washington that it wants an official end to the Korean War in exchange for moving further toward denuclearization.

And through their reportedly 17-hour-long talks on Thursday, meant to pave way for the summit, the two sides’ militaries “confirmed each other’s positions on what should be included in the agreement and adjusted the wording concerning the relevant document”, the ROK Defense Ministry said.

But while the two Koreas have maintained the momentum set at their historic summit in April, permanent peace cannot be restored on the peninsula without the involvement of the United States, which suddenly called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday to deal with what it claimed are efforts by some countries to “undermine and obstruct” the sanctions against the DPRK.

The US calling an emergency Security Council meeting on the eve of the Kim-Moon summit cannot be a mere coincidence. However, the Kim-Moon summit, if it takes the peace agenda forward, could offset the impact of any adverse outcome of the UN Security Council meeting.

But lasting peace goes far beyond any inter-Korean arrangement. It includes, among others things, a breakthrough in denuclearization. And Moon will likely propose a compromise solution to denuclearization at his meeting with Kim, which could become a turning point in the Korean Peninsula peace process. However, it will succeed only if the US formally embraces it.