북미 유해 송환 합의, 종전선언도 가능할까? - 김현욱 교수 대담
When North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to return the remains of U.S. soldiers killed in North Korea during the Korean War, it was widely seen as a good will gesture to the U.S. in their negotiations on denuclearization. But what was expected to have been a quick and painless affair has now dragged on for weeks, with cancelled meetings, unmet expectations and protracted negotiations. If repatriating U.S. remains is this tricky, how difficult will it be in getting the regime hand over its nuclear weapons? Joining me in the studio to look at these issues further is Professor Kim Hyun-wook from the Korea National Diplomatic Academy
Thank you for coming in today.
Pleasure to be here.
1 - North Korea's return of the remains of U.S. soldiers killed in the Korean War could finally be taking place next week, on the 27th, the anniversary of the Korean War armistice agreement, according to reports. Do you think it will finally happen?
2 - On Sunday a general-level meeting between North Korea and the UN Command was held for the first time in 9 years on the subject of those remains. But that only came after North Korea cancelled a meeting on Friday at the last minute. What do you make of North Korea's actions?
3 - There is some interpretation that North Korea is dragging out the return of the remains because it is sending a message to the U.S. that it wants a peace agreement before denuclearization takes place. Last week, President Moon, during his trip to India and Singapore, also said that an agreement to officially end the Korean War could be completed by the end of the year. Do you think the U.S. will get on board?
4 - There has been a lot of talk about the return of the remains, but so far very little progress on denuclearization. Do you think it was mistake for Trump to include that in the agreement reached in Singapore? Because now, it seems it gives North Korea an excuse to delay denuclearization until the remains are returned?
4a - Meanwhile, South Korea's defense ministry has announced that military communication lines with North Korea have been fully restored. It's aimed at lowering military tensions and building trust. How important do you think this step is?
5 - Amidst all this, North Korea has announced that it will grant a general amnesty next month in the lead up to celebrations for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the regime. It's been 3 years since such an amnesty has been given. Do you think there is anything we can read into this?
5a - Another interesting piece of news to come out of North Korean state media today is the report that Kim Jong-un toured the site of a hydro-electric power station under construction. Normally he praises the efforts of his people, but this time he scolded them, calling them lazy. What do you make of that?
6 - Let's move on to a different issue... President Trump met with President Putin in Helsinki on Monday, and i
