Expert view on what Moon will bring to summit with Trump as a breakthrough for denuclearization talks
- 5 years ago
Continuing our coverage of President Moon's trip to Washington.
Experts say they expect the South Korean leader to propose to President Trump what's being called a "good enough deal"... in a bid to break the deadlock in the denuclearization talks.
Lee Ji-won reports.
Since the Hanoi summit, talks between North Korea and the U.S. have been at a standstill.
Pyeongyang seeks partial alleviation of sanctions for step-by-step denuclearization measures,... while Washington seeks concrete denuclearization steps and an overall roadmap from the North in exchange for sanctions relief.
And a solution to narrow the gap,... is what South Korean President Moon Jae-in is expected to bring to his sitdown with President Trump.
This deal,... is what the Blue House has called a "Good Enough Deal", believed to be a combination of Washington's comprehensive agreement, and Pyeongyang's phased implementation.
"This satisfies both sides. It requires North Korea to make an overall roadmap for denuclearization, while promising rewards for each step. The specific corresponding measures won't be discussed right at this summit. But it's an approach the two sides can take in the current environment of low trust. I believe President Trump will support it."
Shin added, that to gain Trump's consent on this,... South Korea is expected to have promised to drop its push for sanctions alleviation, especially on the joint economic projects. As doing so will only divide the two allies on their North Korea policy at this stage.
But eventually,... experts say it would be inevitable not to mention sanctions alleviation as part of the implementation plan.
"Seoul's stance has been that sanctions alleviation could be part of the corresponding measures. And it's quite unrealistic for the U.S. to not yield any part on the sanctions especially if the North freezes and dismantles its nuclear program. As the top-down approach is still how decisions are mostly made,... I think Trump, being more lenient than Pompeo or Bolton,... will consider this."
But some are more skeptical about the possibility of discussing the so-called "good enough deal".
"Rather than discussing this proposal that seeks to close the deal between the North and the U.S., I think Moon and Trump will try to find a way to bring the North back to the negotiating table at this summit. Pyeongyang lost its bargaining power and has been ashamed in Hanoi,... so giving it a good excuse to come back to talks is what the regime needs now."
While expert opinions differ on what President Moon should bring as a means of breakthrough to the summit,... they all agree that whatever the method is,... the objective would be to bring the North back to the path of dialogue.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.
Experts say they expect the South Korean leader to propose to President Trump what's being called a "good enough deal"... in a bid to break the deadlock in the denuclearization talks.
Lee Ji-won reports.
Since the Hanoi summit, talks between North Korea and the U.S. have been at a standstill.
Pyeongyang seeks partial alleviation of sanctions for step-by-step denuclearization measures,... while Washington seeks concrete denuclearization steps and an overall roadmap from the North in exchange for sanctions relief.
And a solution to narrow the gap,... is what South Korean President Moon Jae-in is expected to bring to his sitdown with President Trump.
This deal,... is what the Blue House has called a "Good Enough Deal", believed to be a combination of Washington's comprehensive agreement, and Pyeongyang's phased implementation.
"This satisfies both sides. It requires North Korea to make an overall roadmap for denuclearization, while promising rewards for each step. The specific corresponding measures won't be discussed right at this summit. But it's an approach the two sides can take in the current environment of low trust. I believe President Trump will support it."
Shin added, that to gain Trump's consent on this,... South Korea is expected to have promised to drop its push for sanctions alleviation, especially on the joint economic projects. As doing so will only divide the two allies on their North Korea policy at this stage.
But eventually,... experts say it would be inevitable not to mention sanctions alleviation as part of the implementation plan.
"Seoul's stance has been that sanctions alleviation could be part of the corresponding measures. And it's quite unrealistic for the U.S. to not yield any part on the sanctions especially if the North freezes and dismantles its nuclear program. As the top-down approach is still how decisions are mostly made,... I think Trump, being more lenient than Pompeo or Bolton,... will consider this."
But some are more skeptical about the possibility of discussing the so-called "good enough deal".
"Rather than discussing this proposal that seeks to close the deal between the North and the U.S., I think Moon and Trump will try to find a way to bring the North back to the negotiating table at this summit. Pyeongyang lost its bargaining power and has been ashamed in Hanoi,... so giving it a good excuse to come back to talks is what the regime needs now."
While expert opinions differ on what President Moon should bring as a means of breakthrough to the summit,... they all agree that whatever the method is,... the objective would be to bring the North back to the path of dialogue.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.