The South Korean leader faces a major test over his diplomacy as doubt grows over Pyongyang’s willingness to disarm
South Korean President Moon Jae-in is under pressure to secure concrete steps toward denuclearisation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during a third summit that begins on Tuesday, amid rising scepticism over Pyongyang’s willingness to disarm.
Moon is to meet Kim for the third time this year in a major test of his role as mediator in the nuclear stand-off between Washington and Pyongyang.
The two-day summit comes as impatience grows in the United States and South Korea over Pyongyang’s lack of action over denuclearisation since inter-Korean summits earlier this year and June’s unprecedented meeting between Donald Trump and Kim in Singapore .
“I have confirmed the sincere intent of Chairman Kim and President Trump a number of times,” Moon said on Monday. “I believe if dialogue opens up and the two leaders sit down together, there can be rapid progress on the nuclear problem.”
The liberal leader, who met Kim in April and May, last week called on Washington and Pyongyang to make “bold decisions” to progress on denuclearisation.
Last month, Trump cancelled a planned trip to North Korea by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, citing a lack of “sufficient progress” on denuclearisation.
Pyongyang destroyed its Punggye-ri nuclear test site and facilities at the Sohae missile-testing ground this year, but experts played down both moves as reversible while subsequent satellite imagery pointed to recent activity at a uranium enrichment site.
Despite the stalled progress, the White House confirmed last week it was “coordinating” a potential second summit between Trump and Kim, after the North Korean leader sent a letter requesting another meeting.
Lim Jae-cheon, an associate professor of North Korean studies at Korea University in Seoul, said this week’s summit would probably produce favourable rhetoric from Pyongyang, but concrete actions were less likely.
