Advertisement
How South Korea’s Moon Jae-in plans to get Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un talking about nukes again
- President Moon will meet the US leader on Wednesday to try to reignite negotiations between the US and North Korea
- The South Korean leader wants the US to ease sanctions on the North in the hope Kim will agree to give up his nuclear arsenal and cease his weapons programme
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
South Korean President Moon Jae-in will meet Donald Trump for talks on Wednesday in an urgent bid to bring the US leader and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un back to the negotiating table.
The meeting comes a day before the first session of the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly kicks off in Pyongyang, which will be closely watched for clues as to the direction of Kim’s policy towards Washington. Negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have been moribund since Trump and Kim’s second summit in Hanoi on February 28 collapsed without a denuclearisation deal for the North.
Last week, two of Moon’s closest aides indicated that the South Korean president was gunning for an easing of Washington’s sanctions policy, known as “maximum pressure”.
Advertisement
“North Korea persisted in its nuclear development through decades of sanctions and pressure,” said Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean peninsula peace and security affairs.
Advertisement
“To believe that stronger sanctions and more pressure would make North Korea suddenly give up its entire nuclear programme is an illusion.”
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x