Could North Korean leader Kim Jong-un travel to South Korea's southern city of Busan in November?
The possibility has been floated before, but new comments from the top office suggest there's a decent chance Kim will make an unprecedented trip to South Korea for an ASEAN forum a few weeks from now.
Seoul believes a visit by Kim would spur denuclearization talks with the U.S. and revitalize inter-Korean relations that have soured in recent months.
These latest developments come as President Moon Jae-in departed New York after a few days at the UN General Assembly.
Shin Se-min reports.
South Korea’s presidential office, on the same page as the nation’s intelligence agency, thinks that North Korea’s Kim Jong-un may in fact visit South Korea for the ASEAN special summit in the port city of Busan in November.
The backdrop of that-- the ongoing discussions between North Korea and the U.S. and between the two Koreas, as well as the National Intelligence Service’s claim this week said the North's leader Kim Jong-un could cross the border again.
The prospective nuclear talks between Pyeongyang and Washington are feeding the presidential office’s optimism, but there may need to be talks between the two Koreas in order to make that trip actually happen.
Looking back at President Moon's brief trip to New York and meeting with U.S. President Trump,… the presidential office reportedly sees the restarting of the Korean peace process as a major outcome.
“If the third North Korea-U.S. summit takes place, it will be a great achievement that equals a great transformation in terms of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
In addition, Moon added to the peace blueprint during his keynote speech at the UN General Assembly with his plan to turn one of the most heavily guarded regions in the world into a global peace zone.
“I would like to propose to the United Nations and all the member states the idea of transforming the Demilitarized Zone that cuts across the midriff of the Korean Peninsula into an international peace zone.”
“The only shortfall in what was generally seen as a successful trip was the lack of progress made on relations with Japan. The presidential office reportedly says the continued open discussions with Japan didn't lead anywhere, so it looks like the soured relations between the neighbors may not improve for some time.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News, New York.”
