Achieving peace and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula has been one of President Moon Jae-in's top priorities as president of this nation.
There have been huge developments in inter-Korean relations over the past 18 months or so,... but experts point to bigger tasks that need to be overcome to keep the positive momentum going.
An analysis in time for President's Moon's third year in office... and reflecting on the past two years as president... here's Arirang News' Park Hee-jun. The Moon Jae-in government has opened a new chapter on the Korean Peninsula,... but greater challenges still loom ahead for South Korea to remain a "linchpin" of the peace drive.
That was the view shared by experts at a policy conference on Tuesday,... aimed at assessing the administration's first two years in office,... and discussing where it should go from here.
The government has made many concrete achievements,... most notably, easing military tension on the Korean Peninsula and laying the groundwork for inter-Korean railways.
But progress in inter-Korean and North Korea-U.S. relations came to a pause since the Hanoi summit last month.
Nevertheless, the government remains determined to cement the newly found peace on the Korean Peninsula.
"Under close coordination with the U.S., Seoul plans to fully implement the inter-Korean agreements reached so far, in order to advance relations and hold a fourth inter-Korean summit."
But achieving this vision requires close partnership with the relevant parties,... something South Korea has not been doing well so far.
Pointing to criticism that South Korea has been neglecting diplomacy with its four neighboring powers -- the U.S., China, Japan, and Russia,... experts emphasized that damaging relations with any of these countries must be prevented.
"President Moon's 'New Northern Policy' and 'New Southern Policy' cannot replace South Korea's relations with the neighboring powers. The government must also work on resolving the most pressing issue of worsening Seoul-Tokyo relations."
Experts say that Seoul needs to find ways to smooth ties with Tokyo,... especially through the upcoming G20 Summit in Osaka next month.
They also advise the Moon administration to establish a task force,... for a comprehensive analysis of the ongoing trade dispute between the U.S. and China -- a key factor that affects North Korea's denuclearization.
"The best situation would be for a deal on North Korea's denuclearization to be made within President Trump's term. But experts say it's most likely that it could become a long-term goal -- all the more reason for South Korea to maintain good relations with the relevant parties,... so that denuclearization talks can continue even after a change of administration. Park Hee-jun, Arirang News."
