There's been a lot of speculation about what prompted North Korea's willingness to engage in dialogue.
Factors include the sanctions against it, fear of war,... and wanting to be recognized as a normal state.
But whatever the reasons,... what's important from now until the summit in exactly a week... is how South Korea is going to approach it... and how to maintain the peace momentum afterwards.
Our Kim Min-ji met with the lawmakers who represent their parties on parliament's foreign affairs and unification committees.
South Korea's rival parties have, in general, welcomed the first inter-Korean talks in 11 years.
Lawmaker Kim Kyung-hyup of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea has praised the Moon Jae-in administration's efforts to foster momentum for peace on the Peninsula... by maintaining pressure on North Korea... while at the same time.. leaving the door open for dialogue.
He also applauded the government for being able to set the tempo with the U.S. to prevent a military confrontation... and for delaying the allies' joint military drills.
Now what's important... is how regional players involved... restore trust that's been lost.
"The increased sanctions against North Korea for its provocations over the past ten years or so have stoked intense mistrust. Therefore, each side could demand that the other give way first. For any progress toward denuclearization, time is important and it cannot be rushed. We need to be able to control the situation at our pace,... and support talks between the U.S. and the North. If any agreement is reached,... we need a system that can oversee whether its being abided by."
The conservatives, meanwhile, have been taking a more hardline approach... and have been pretty pessimistic about the recent developments.
Lawmaker Yoon Young-seok of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party stressed that the North could be cheating the international community again -- and said we can't let down our guard.
Until progress is made toward complete denuclearization -- he says no carrots -- because the North could be hiding its true intentions.
"It is like a temporary calm before a storm. We must achieve complete, irreversible denuclearization of North Korea. But North Korea is more likely to use tricks in its nuclear dismantlement process.
It is highly unlikely that the North will make a full denuclearization. North Korea is only interested in easing international sanctions and drawing up rewards. After the summit talks, sanctions and pressure should not be lowered until the full denuclearization of North Korea."
In the centrist Bareun Mirae Party, lawmaker Lee Tae-kyu had a realistic but perhaps more hopeful view.
He said while the concerns of the conservatives are rational given past experiences,... we can't allow those suspicions to keep talks from being held at all.
He added that the international community is not going to tolerate any more tricks on Pyongyang's part,... and that North Korea knows it -- poin
