TOKYO — South Korea welcomed President Trump’s announcement that he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam on Feb. 27, expressing hope the pair can build off their first meeting to make “more specific and substantial progress” this time around.
The Blue House also noted the symbolism of Vietnam as a venue as a sign that friendship with United States is possible after hostility
“Vietnam and the United States used to point guns and knives at each other, but have now become friends,” presidential spokesman Kim Eui-keum told a news conference. “We expect Vietnam to be a perfectly suitable backdrop to a new history to be written between North Korea and the United States.”
In his State of the Union address, Trump said his administration was continuing its “historic push for peace in North Korea,” noting the return of several American citizens who had been imprisoned by the North Korean regime and a halt to nuclear and missile tests.
“If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea,” Trump said. “Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one. Chairman Kim and I will meet again on Feb. 27 and 28 in Vietnam.”
Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul called the president’s rhetoric about preventing a war “somewhat exaggerated,” but acknowledged Trump’s role in the detente with North Korea.
“The possibility of North Korea waging an actual war had been low even before Trump took office,” he said. “Still, the level of provocation from North Korea had been constantly elevating with nuclear tests and missile launches until last year. It is worth noting that Trump’s decision to talk directly to Kim Jong Un has marked a dramatic turn in North Korea’s attitude.”
Opinion about Trump’s outreach to Kim divides North Korea experts.
Some give him credit for opening a dialogue with Kim Jong Un after years of drift under his predecessor, Barack Obama, but some also criticize him for failing to elicit any concrete pledges about denuclearization when he met the North Korean leader in Singapore last June.
Last month, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Trump and Kim Jong Un, need to move from “abstract” talk to “concrete” action the next time they meet, to speed up their peace process and bridge mistrust.
On Wednesday, the Blue House statement echoed his sentiment.
“The two leaders have already taken the first step toward shaking off the past 70 years of hostility in Singapore,” spokesman Kim Eui-keum said. “We look forward to a more specific and substantial step of progress in Vietnam.”
U.S. envoy Stephen Biegun is due to meet his North Korean counterpart Kim Hyok Chol on Pyongyang on Wednesday, as he attempts to push forward preparations for the summit and advance a plan to reinvigorate talks about denuclearization.
Last Thursday, Biegun set out for the first time in a speech at Stanford University how he hopes to move the denuclearization process forward, taking what several experts described as a more flexible and realistic approach than the administration has adopted thus far.
Read more:
U.S. envoy to visit North Korea with a plan to restart denuclearization talks
S Korea wants Trump-Kim summit to be a turning point. Others see it as a last chance.
Confusion over North Korea’s definition of denuclearization clouds talks
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