When Moon meets Kim: Can roads pave way to denuclearization?
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) – When South Korean President Moon Jae-in travels to Pyongyang this week for his third summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, he’ll have two major tasks: He needs to keep Pyongyang’s talks with Washington on denuclearization from breaking down so his own efforts at rapprochement can continue, and he needs to speed up a series of inter-Korean cooperation and engagement projects to keep frictions with the North low and his domestic critics at bay.
With each summit, the stakes get higher.
It’s still unclear what Kim, riding a wave of successes in his debut on the world stage and fresh off a celebration marking North Korea’s 70th anniversary, intends to do with his nukes. And pressure is mounting in the administration of President Donald Trump for quick progress.
This Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018, photo shows the Arch of Reunification, a monument to symbolize the hope for eventual reunification of the two Koreas, in Pyongyang, North Korea. While Pyongyang’s talks with Washington over the future of Kim Jong Un’s nuclear arsenal have bogged down, South Korean President Moon Jae-in is pushing hard to link the roads and railways of the two Koreas and to help improve the North’s often decrepit infrastructure. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
In this Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018, photo, a biker crosses a motorway from Pyongyang to Nampo, a city and seaport located on the west coast of North Korea. While Pyongyang’s talks with Washington over the future of Kim Jong Un’s nuclear arsenal have bogged down, South Korean President Moon Jae-in is pushing hard to link the roads and railways of the two Koreas and to help improve the North’s often decrepit infrastructure. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
This Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018, photo shows the Arch of Reunification, a monument to symbolize the hope for eventual reunification of the two Koreas, in Pyongyang, North Korea. While Pyongyang’s talks with Washington over the future of Kim Jong Un’s nuclear arsenal have bogged down, South Korean President Moon Jae-in is pushing hard to link the roads and railways of the two Koreas and to help improve the North’s often decrepit infrastructure. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Advertisement
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.