South Korea-US Leaders May Talk This Week... Coordinating on Korean Peninsula Denuclearization

Biden US President's Call Order: Canada·Mexico → Europe → Asia? ... Focus Also on Timing of South Korea-US Summit

[Asia Economy reporters Jungmin Ryu and Jieun Lee] President Moon Jae-in is expected to have a summit call with U.S. President Joe Biden as early as this week to coordinate ways to advance denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the peace process.

Earlier, National Security Office Director Suh Hoon and White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan agreed during a phone call that it is important to initiate communication between the two leaders as soon as possible.

The reason for the keen interest in the first call between the two leaders since President Biden took office is related to coordinating the blueprint for resolving the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At a New Year’s press conference on the 18th, President Moon said, "With the inauguration of the Biden administration, a new opportunity has been created to restart North Korea-U.S. talks and inter-Korean dialogue," adding, "Dialogue should build upon and develop the achievements made during the Trump administration."

This statement was interpreted as a recognition that the momentum for North Korea-U.S. talks should be revived based on the achievements of the June 12, 2018 ‘Singapore Declaration.’ However, the Biden administration places emphasis on a ‘multilateral’ approach with allies, leading to some discord.

Experts generally view that it is unlikely the Biden administration will pursue the ‘surprise show’ style summit agreements characteristic of former President Trump, and even if negotiations yield results, the ‘bottom-up’ nature of the process means it will inevitably take considerable time. This diverges from the Moon administration’s ‘timetable’ aiming to produce tangible outcomes in the Korean Peninsula peace process this year.

The Blue House’s emphasis on the ‘common denominator’ between South Korea and the U.S. is a strategic move to avoid such controversies. Blue House spokesperson Kang Min-seok explained the outcome of Suh Hoon’s call, saying, "Both South Korea and the U.S. agreed to jointly consult and work toward achieving the goal of denuclearization and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula."

The timing of the South Korea-U.S. summit is also a point of interest. There is speculation that President Moon may visit the U.S. as early as March or April to hold his first summit with President Biden. The Blue House is making efforts to arrange the summit as soon as possible.

However, due to President Biden’s recently begun official term and the ongoing COVID-19 situation, there are many variables in setting the schedule and format. There is also the possibility that the summit may be held virtually instead of face-to-face.

If the South Korea-U.S. summit takes place, the key point to watch will be the behind-the-scenes tug-of-war between the Moon administration, which seeks to revive momentum for the Korean Peninsula peace process through existing methods, and the Biden administration, which aims to find solutions with a ‘new perspective.’

Hong Min, head of the North Korea Research Division at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said, "If an early South Korea-U.S. summit is held, efforts will be needed to actively explain the achievements of the Korean Peninsula peace process and the progressive succession of the Singapore agreement," adding, "However, the Biden administration has its own approach, so it cannot be expected to inherit everything."

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