After initial signs of progress earlier this year, the talks between North Korea and the United States have stalled. The collapse of negotiations in Hanoi this February has left the dialogue open and both sides in a precarious position regarding the process of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.
However, the failure of President Trump and Kim Jong-un to come up with an agreement in February does not mean the possibility of progress ends there; talks of a new meeting are in the works, and are being ushered along by South Korea, who most strongly feels the effects of North Korea’s nuclear program.
Discussion of Kim visiting Seoul were announced after the meeting between the North Korean leader and South Korea’s Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang in September of last year, but after the talks with the United States failed, the option seemed to fall out of favor. However, with efforts from the South Korean government, it looks like a new round of talks and a visit by Kim to Busan could take place in the next few weeks or months.
President Moon has felt political pressure as of late for a variety of economic and political reasons, and it’s clear that he feels negotiating a meeting between the US, North Korea and the South could give his approval ratings a boost. There are no certainties when it comes to the process of denuclearizing the Korean peninsula, but dedication on the part of the South Korea makes progress look more likely. Only time will tell if this effort will pay off.
Read more about the negotiations here.