"North Korea Nuclear Freeze ↔ Suspension of ROK-US Drills + Sanctions Relief Must Be Exchanged"

UN Peace Co 'Buk Saeroun-gil' Forum
Park Jong-cheol "Government Should Dispatch Special Envoy to North Korea"
Kim Young-yoon "Must Declare Resumption of Kaesong Industrial Complex and Mount Kumgang"

As North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un declared the 'frontline breakthrough' policy in 2020 and announced 'shocking actual actions,' escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, there is an assessment that space for North Korea-US dialogue should be created by exchanging the freezing of North Korea's nuclear program with the suspension of South Korea-US joint military exercises and the easing of sanctions against North Korea.

On the 8th, Park Jong-cheol, Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, stated at the 'New Path Analysis and Countermeasures New Year Forum' hosted by UN Peace Co that "to prevent a crisis on the Korean Peninsula, efforts must be combined to restore space for North Korea-US dialogue by mobilizing diplomatic channels at all levels, including the leaders of South Korea and the US."

Park said, "In particular, it is necessary to establish a stepping stone by forming a consensus on the goal of denuclearization and, as a first-step measure, exchanging North Korea's freezing of its nuclear program for adjustments in the timing and scale of South Korea-US military exercises and partial easing of sanctions against North Korea."

He also emphasized the opening of inter-Korean dialogue channels. Park said, "Just as inter-Korean talks opened breakthroughs whenever North Korea-US negotiations faced difficulties in 2018, the government should activate various dialogue channels, including dispatching special envoys to North Korea."

Park proposed that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics should also be used as an opportunity for inter-Korean dialogue. He said, "Promoting inter-Korean sports exchanges can also be utilized as an opportunity to restore dialogue."

Furthermore, he said, "There needs to be an international consensus on the necessity of stabilizing the situation on the Korean Peninsula to hold the Tokyo Olympics," emphasizing the need for peace management on the Korean Peninsula through cooperation not only among South Korea, the US, and Japan but also with China and Russia.

Kim Young-yoon, Chairman of the South-North Logistics Forum, said, "To lay the foundation for improving inter-Korean relations, it is important to suspend the South Korea-US joint exercises in March or April," adding, "A decisive move should be made to pursue projects that can be carried out even under sanctions against North Korea." He said, "The resumption of the Mount Kumgang tourism project and the Kaesong Industrial Complex project should be declared with courage."

Professor Lee Hee-ok of Sungkyunkwan University emphasized cooperation not only among South Korea, the US, and Japan but also among South Korea, China, and Russia. He stressed, "To prevent North Korea from deviating from the denuclearization track on the Korean Peninsula, the joint mediator role of South Korea, China, and Russia is also necessary," and added, "The convening power should be exercised through expanding and solidifying formats such as South-North-China and South-North-Russia cooperation and multilateral meetings."

Meanwhile, UN Peace Co, founded in September last year, is an NGO formed by overseas Koreans and experts from various fields aiming to lead national consensus and international cooperation for peace, prosperity, and unification on the Korean Peninsula.

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