Meanwhile SK National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong is back from his meeting with US NSA John Bolton in Washington. Did he accomplish anything? Chung: "We engaged in productive discussions about ways to encourage NK to denuke expeditiously and completely"news.chosun.com/site/data/html…
"Plus we reconfirmed our common objective of seeking NK's complete denuclearization. On that basis we will build a peace regime on the Korean peninsula. We will continue to collaborate and coordinate tightly with the US side to those ends"
news.chosun.com/site/data/html…
news.chosun.com/site/data/html…
Well, but what about the end of war declaration which he and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa were apparently specifically assigned to seek from the US side? That and having a trilateral summit among NK-SK-US to work that out are Moon's objectives. Chung wouldn't answer directly
Diplomatic sources say, "This trip was a mistake." The US side wouldn't be exactly happy after NK coal was found to have entered SK. This was not the time to bring the matter up but to deal directly w/NK, which has begun to criticize SK harshly once again
ichannela.com/news/main/news…
ichannela.com/news/main/news…
That trilateral summit is an idea being floated by SK that if KJU comes to UNGA in Sep or has 2nd summit w/Trump in Washington, SK-NK-US could get together and work toward end-of-war declaration. NK wants that as next US concession and said so to Pompeo
news.donga.com/List/PoliticsD…
news.donga.com/List/PoliticsD…
when he was in Pyongyang. NK in fact wanted that by July 27, which is the 65th anniv of the Korean Armistice Agreement. That's not happening now but Moon's hopeful that will happen at Sept UNGA. That's why FM Kang sought out her old acquaintance Guterres
Kang asked for Guterres's support in SK's quest for denuking and "lasting peace" on the Korean peninsula. When asked how the end of war declaration is appropriate when NK isn't denuking, Kang: "We made clear that's our goal [at the Panmunjom Declaration]"
Chung was seen on the same plane with SK heads of 6 major parties who were also visiting Washington. Some thought they also met w/Bolton. No, they were there to meet w/Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and ask for tariff exemption for SK-manufactured vehicles
hankookilbo.com/v/ce22789e0d40…
hankookilbo.com/v/ce22789e0d40…
But understandable since Bolton has a history of meeting w/opposition leaders to make things interesting. Here's Bolton in May in a photo op w/Na Kyung-won, who delivered opposition party Lib Korea's position on NK. She gave him a coffee mug labeled "CVID" news.chosun.com/site/data/html…
