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(EDITORIAL from Korea Times on Sept. 22)

All News 09:25 September 22, 2018

Resuming US-NK talks
Embrace momentum created by Pyongyang Declaration

President Moon Jae-in returned home Thursday after his three-day trip to Pyongyang. Upon landing at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, the President headed to the main press center at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul to give a briefing about the outcome of his meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Moon and his entourage came home in a festive mood after an unprecedented trip to Mount Paektu, the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula, which carries a special meaning for the peoples of the two Koreas. With their wives at their sides, the two leaders took photos and engaged in friendly conversation like two old friends on the mountain that many South Koreans can only dream of going to some day.

Many South Koreans were moved by the growing trust between the two leaders following the multiple meetings they have had this year. The first Moon-Kim summit took place on the southern side of the truce village of Panmunjeom in April, and they met again in May. Both summits provided the impetus for the historic June 12 U.S.-North Korea summit between President Donald Trump and Kim in Singapore.

The third summit between Moon and Kim was timely in that it has recreated the momentum for Washington and Pyongyang to resume denuclearization talks. In late August, the U.S. cancelled a planned visit to the North Korean capital by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo amid a deadlock in bilateral negotiations over the North's denuclearization.

President Moon's Pyongyang trip was met with an optimistic reaction from President Trump who said that tensions with North Korea had "calmed down." In a statement released after the Moon-Kim summit, Secretary Pompeo proposed a meeting at the earliest opportunity with North Korean officials in Vienna where the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency is located. Pompeo has also invited North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho to meet with him at the UN General Assembly next week.

The latest survey showed that more than 70 percent of South Koreans supported Moon's Pyongyang trip, but there are still lingering concerns about the effectiveness of the Pyongyang Declaration in achieving complete denuclearization. In particular, it is worrisome that Kim stressed "corresponding measures" from the U.S. before taking stronger measures for denuclearization, such as dismantling the Yongbyon nuclear facilities. This necessitates negotiations down the road with the U.S., which is adamant that denuclearization must come first. Both sides should continue talking with each other for real progress in North Korea's denuclearization and to confirm a second U.S.-North Korea summit at an early date.
(END)

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