September is going to be a crunch period in Seoul and Washington's engagement with North Korea.
And... much of the immediate pressure is on the South Korean delegation heading to Pyongyang.
Our Kim Hyo-sun has more.
South Korea's delegation to Pyongyang helped lay the groundwork for the landmark summit between the leaders of North Korea and the U.S in June.
"He expressed his eagerness to meet President Trump as soon as possible."
While the delegation consists of the same members,... they face a much more complex task this time.
The delegation has to convince Pyongyang and Washington, who are locked in a stalemate, to start making some concessions to get diplomacy moving again.
"The delegation's visit is to help the North and the U.S. reach an agreement on either submitting a full report of the North's nuclear arsenal after declaring the end of the Korean War or agreeing on exchanging both a nuclear report and a war-ending declaration."
Seoul's delegation also needs to coordinate closely with Washington.
While the Moon administration has stressed that improved inter-Korean relations will help solve the North's nuclear issue,... Washington has made it clear that denuclearization should go hand-in-hand with the development of relations between the two Koreas.
Analysts are concerned that Seoul-Washington relations could be on shaky ground if the U.S. opposes the proposals South Korea makes to the North,... including resuming tourism to Mount Kumgang and economic cooperation between the two nations.
"It's crucial for South Korea to reach an agreement with the U.S. on the details of the additional incentives that may be presented to the North in order to prevent any disagreement between the allies while persuading the North."
The trade tensions between China and the U.S. as well as Chinese President Xi Jinping's possible visit to Pyongyang this month as the regime celebrates the 70th anniversary of its founding next week are also issues the delegation needs to consider.
Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.
