"North America Already Considering Negotiations with Mutual Checks... Early Progress Possible"

Kyungnam University Institute for Far Eastern Affairs
"U.S.-North Korea Negotiations May Resume Earlier Than Expected"
"Complete Denuclearization Should Remain the Ultimate Goal"
"Close South Korea-U.S. Coordination Is Essential"

With the launch of Donald Trump's second U.S. administration, there is a prospect that negotiations between the United States and North Korea could proceed earlier than expected.

No Gyudeok, a visiting professor at Halla University (former head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Korea Peninsula Peace Negotiation Headquarters), appeared as a session discussant on North Korea's foreign policy at the 75th Unification Strategy Forum hosted by Kyungnam University’s Institute of Far Eastern Affairs on the 4th. He predicted, "Both the U.S. and North Korea are already keeping negotiations in mind while watching each other closely." He added, "Compared to the 2019 Hanoi Summit, North Korea is not at a disadvantage in the competition for negotiation leadership."

Professor No suggested, "Considering the possibility of early U.S.-North Korea negotiations, 'complete denuclearization' must be the ultimate goal in any case," and emphasized, "Close coordination between South Korea and the U.S. is necessary."

Kim Sang-gi, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, also stated, "Although North Korea maintains a hardline principle of responding strongly to the U.S. and continues to strengthen its nuclear forces, President Trump has consistently sent progressive messages toward North Korea and strongly expressed his willingness to resume dialogue with Chairman Kim Jong-un." He added, "There is a considerable possibility that U.S.-North Korea talks, negotiations, and summits will resume this year." Furthermore, he predicted, "The withdrawal of North Korean troops linked to the early end of the Russia-Ukraine war will become the first agenda of U.S.-North Korea talks, and such talks could lead to and promote bilateral arms control negotiations."

Meanwhile, regarding North Korea's hostile policy toward South Korea this year, Professor Jeong Young-cheol of Sogang University reminded that both South and North Korea must handle their respective internal political schedules, and forecasted, "It will not be easy to improve inter-Korean relations due to the emergence of a new regime in South Korea, as some expect." In particular, Professor Jeong stated, "Unification plans or policies that put unification at the forefront no longer have national persuasive power and seem to have lost their effectiveness," and suggested, "The government should seriously explore new political and military approaches that directly address the root causes of the Korean Peninsula issue, beyond the existing approaches toward North Korea."

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