'Korean Peninsula Mediator' Question Marked, Cited as Evidence of President Moon's Passing Over...

Former Bolton Aide's North Korea-US Summit Revelations Draw Direct Criticism from Blue House... "Significant Portions Greatly Distorted"

[Asia Economy reporters Ryu Jeong-min and Na Ju-seok] The reason why former U.S. National Security Council (NSC) advisor John Bolton's memoir, The Room Where It Happened, is perceived as sensitive is that it could raise questions about President Moon Jae-in’s role as a 'mediator on the Korean Peninsula.'

However, since Bolton’s memoir contains unverified content and reflects negative sentiments toward President Moon, it is unreasonable to accept his claims at face value.

On the 22nd, Yoon Do-han, the Blue House’s Senior Secretary for Public Communication, conveyed National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong’s stance on Bolton’s memoir, stating, "It reveals the situation regarding consultations among the leaders of South Korea, the U.S., and North Korea from his own perspective," and added, "It does not reflect accurate facts and significantly distorts many parts."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Director Chung said, "It violates the basic principles of diplomacy and could severely damage the trust in future negotiations. We expect the U.S. government to take appropriate measures to prevent such dangerous cases." Chung’s position was communicated to the U.S. NSC on the evening of the 2nd.

Summarizing Bolton’s claims, the theory of the Korean Peninsula mediator showed its limitations during the North Korea-U.S. summit process. A representative example is the claim that on June 30 last year, U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un rejected President Moon’s request to attend their meeting at Panmunjom.

The claim that the U.S. side rejected President Moon’s attendance request three times and that Chairman Kim also did not want President Moon to attend is a subject of controversy. This issue is connected to President Moon’s standing following the North Korea-U.S. summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Bolton also included another sensitive detail in his memoir while recounting National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong’s behind-the-scenes story of the April 27, 2018 inter-Korean summit at Panmunjom. According to Bolton, President Moon asked Chairman Kim about the possibility of 'complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization (CVID)' within a year, and Kim agreed.

If Bolton’s claim is accurate, President Moon was confident in Kim’s 'CVID agreement' and pushed for the North Korea-U.S. summit, but ultimately was 'passed over.' The North Korean side has since openly engaged in hostile acts against the South, citing leaflet campaigns by some defector groups as a pretext, and has closed the door to dialogue with the South.

Bolton’s memoir differs significantly from the views of both President Trump and the Blue House. A Blue House official dismissed the claim regarding the June 30 North Korea-U.S. summit, saying, "The meeting was held in our building on the South Korean side of Panmunjom; it makes no sense that our president was told not to come," and added, "There is no reason to respond to each of Bolton’s claims."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

As a member of the 'neoconservatives,' Bolton is a hardliner on North Korea and holds a negative view of the Moon administration’s Sunshine Policy, which it inherited. In his memoir, Bolton described, "South Korea’s left wing has worshipped the Sunshine Policy, believing that being nice to North Korea would improve the situation on the Korean Peninsula," and dismissed it as a policy that only provided funds to North Korea.

Regarding Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the North Korean Workers' Party, attending the Pyeongchang Olympics, Bolton claimed, "There was a purpose to the visit, which was to invite President Moon to North Korea," and added, "The South Korean government paid for North Korea’s Olympic participation costs according to an already established pattern."

It is also noteworthy that Bolton’s memoir is suspected of having a 'political purpose' aimed at preventing President Trump’s reelection.

In Bolton’s memoir, President Moon is portrayed as someone who values form over substance and hopes to join the meeting between President Trump and Chairman Kim. Senior Secretary Yoon criticized Bolton’s memoir, saying, "Distorting the sincere and constructive consultations between the South Korean and U.S. leaders on peace on the Korean Peninsula and inter-Korean relations based on personal prejudice and preconceptions is an inappropriate behavior lacking basic propriety."

Meanwhile, Bolton is also criticized for aligning with Japan on the Korean Peninsula issue. In his memoir, he mentioned that the U.S. and North Korea tried to declare an end to the war, but Japan opposed it, giving significance to Japan’s position.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.