Some Trump administration officials believe an accelerated thawing of relations between Seoul and Pyongyang will undermine Washington’s efforts to pressure Kim into giving up his nuclear weapons.
North and South Korea agreed Monday to move forward with plans to connect roads and railways that have been divided since the Korean War, the latest step in a warming of bilateral relations Washington has eyed with suspicion.
After talks at the border village of Panmunjom, officials said both governments would hold a groundbreaking ceremony on the project in the coming months, likely in late November or early December.
The announcement follows a series of summits between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, during which both men agreed to work toward reducing conventional military threats on the Korean peninsula.
“The South and North reached the agreement after sincerely discussing action plans to develop inter-Korean relations to a new, higher stage,” the two governments said in a joint statement released by South Korea’s Unification Ministry.
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Monday’s meeting comes as the Trump administration is engaged in parallel talks with the Kim regime over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
Washington’s “maximum pressure” campaign calls for the maintenance of international sanctions on Pyongyang until it demonstrates the complete and verifiable dismantling of its nuclear arsenal.
That strategy is at odds with what Moon and South Korean negotiators have been pushing in meetings with their North Korean counterparts.
