Nukes must stay top of talks agenda

The planned visit to North Korea of President Moon Jae-in’s special envoy raises both expectations and concerns. The envoy’s visit – which comes at a time the North and the US are deadlocked over denuclearisation – may finalise details of a third meeting between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un scheduled for this month.

A successful meeting between Moon and Kim could help the US and the North find a breakthrough to the stalemate over the US demand for the North’s denuclearisation and the North’s demand for declaring an end to the Korean War as part of Washington’s safety guarantee of the Pyongyang regime. Indeed, the North has been stiffening its stance toward the US, which responded by cancelling a planned visit to Pyongyang by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Then US Secretary of Defence James Mattis said the US may resume joint military exercises with South Korea. These latest developments raised the spectre of the two sides going back to square one.

What should not be forgotten is that denuclearisation should come ahead of everything in engaging the North, and the international community will never allow the North to hold on to its nuclear arsenal and missiles.

The most important mission of the envoy is to unequivocally deliver this message to the North Korean leadership.