What They Said is a regular series on the quotes Korea is talking about.
The big news of the last few weeks has been the on-again, off-again uncertainty around the upcoming US-NK summit.
It is obviously a particularly big deal for South Korea, and President Moon Jae-in has been working as a go-between in the matter, trying to bridge the gap between North Korea and the United States to make the summit happen.
So, what have the Korean newspapers been saying about it all? Well, let’s take a look at the opinion sections of the six biggest.
The Chosun Ilbo
The Chosun Ilbo, one of the major right-leaning newspapers in Korea, has consistently focused on strengthening South Korea-US relations and being wary of North Korea. Taking a rather hostile position on the North, the editorial board warns against the worst case scenarios.
—After Donald Trump Canceled the US-NK Summit
May 25, 2018 : Park Eunju — “Trump Doesn’t Treat Kim Jong-un Like a ‘Kid'”
After reading Trump’s letter and the White House press conference on the night of May 24, I thought that Trump was the first politician to treat North Korea as a “normal nation”. A country that criticizes another country “with a rag in its mouth” while preparing for a summit is not a normal country. When the country does not plan a preliminary meeting with another country before the summit, it is right to understand it as a sign that it does not want the summit to happen. At least, that is the way it is between normal countries.
Mentioning “North Korea’s will to denuclearize”, the South Korean government has been constantly “shielding” North Korea’s attitude. It was similar to the way the parents of the biggest jerk in town condone their children’s behavior, saying that he is “good at heart” and giving him a piece of candy.
It seems as though Trump is giving Kim Jong-un a cigarette instead of a candy and saying, “Hey, bro, what are you playing at?”
Now with a stick of cigarette instead of a piece of candy, Kim Jong-un can no longer play the baby.[1]
—After the second inter-Korean Summit
May 28, 2018 : Editorial —“North and South Korea vs. USA” Positions on North Korean Nuclear Issue Could Spoil the Work
North and South Korean leaders decided to hold a high-level meeting on June 1. This is probably another one of North Korea’s measures to pressure the United States. On the morning of May 15, North Korea cancelled the high-level meeting that was scheduled to be held that day with a complaint about the South Korea–US military drill. People are curious whether Kim Jong-un gave an explanation after he made an issue of the military drill despite previously stating that he understands regular military drills between South Korea and the United States; whether Kim did not give any explanation; and whether President Moon did not call him out despite Kim not providing any explanation. However, the president is silent on the matter. Canceling on the day of the meeting and proposing a meeting the next day without any preparation are both acts of snubbing the other party. Now is the time for South Korea and the United States to become one and persuade and at times pressure the North to have them decide to dismantle nuclear facilities as soon as possible. South Korea’s clumsy efforts to mediate between the North and the United States could spoil the work.[2]
—After Trump said the US-NK summit was back on for June 12
June 2, 2018: Editorial — Will South Korea’s Safety be Questioned to Guarantee North Korea’s Safety?
The South Korea-US alliance has safeguarded the peace of the Korean Peninsula for the past 65 years through the USFK and South Korea-US military exercises. If the North destroys all of its nuclear facilities and becomes a normal country by reforming and openings its doors, thereby establishing structural peace on the Korean Peninsula, the USKF and South Korea-US military exercises can be reviewed in consideration of the changes in circumstance. However, until then, peace on the Korean Peninsula still has numerous obstacles to overcome. A former USFK commander once said, “Signing a peace treaty for the purpose of withdrawing US forces in Korea is like signing a death penalty for South Korea.” The purpose of the US-North Korea summit is not in protecting the Kim Jong-un regime. There is no excuse for venturing risky changes regarding the safety of South Korean citizens, based on the promise by the United States to guarantee the safety of North Korea.[3]
The Dong-a Ilbo
The Dong-a Ilbo, another conservative newspaper, spoke up about Kim Jong-un’s mistake in bringing up criticisms about the US regarding the cancellation of the summit. Then, when the talk of the summit resumed, its editorial board laid out a number of obstacles to overcome for the summit to succeed.
—After Donald Trump canceled the US-NK summit
May 25, 2018 : Kim Jong-un’s Thoughts on Breaking Even
But his opponent is Trump, who has no interest whatsoever in details but is quick and exact with calculating profit and loss. To first calm [Kim] down to find out his real intentions, [Trump] promised economic boom, saying that he would guarantee the safety of the regime. However, it was simply “lip service”. Without mentioning the North Korea-US diplomatic relations, peace treaty, or the alleviation of sanctions, Trump waved the “cancel” card to [Kim’s] threat to “reconsider” the summit.
Kim Jong-un might have believed that he succeeded in bringing Trump into a community bound together by a common destiny who are in the same boat politically. But that trap does not work with Trump. To a gambler like Trump, this kind of situation is a game that makes his endorphins flow. In any case, the stakes are larger and adequate negotiation has become difficult to achieve.[4]
—After the second inter-Korean Summit
May 28, 2018: Editorial — NK-US Summit is Back On, But There Are Many Obstacles to Overcome
Considerable risk follows this kind of “guarantor diplomacy”. This is because [South Korea] will fulfill its responsibility when the summit comes to a successful end rather than by simply restoring the NK-US summit. If the NK-US summit stalls again or ends up a failure, the guarantor [South Korea] might end up getting slapped by both parties. It is necessary to look back and consider whether South Korea crossing the MDL (military demarcation line) to restore the NK-US summit without first discussing North Korea’s responsibility for the stalled inter-Korean relationship was a show of excessive submissiveness.[5]
JoongAng Ilbo
JoongAng Ilbo, the last of the three right-leaning newspapers, took a rather hard-line stance, emphasizing the need for North Korea to completely dismantle its nuclear weapons program and urging South Korea to team up with the US to put pressure on the North.
—After Donald Trump canceled the US-NK summit
May 26, 2018 : Editorial — Kim Jong-un Must Show His Will for “Complete Denuclearization”
President Moon Jae-in must seriously review the option to operate the South-North hotline and persuade Chairman Kim. This time, North Korea asserted, “the United States first asked for a dialogue” while President Trump revealed, “North Korea requested a dialogue first.” Both countries explicitly showed their distrust of the South Korean government, which had acted as a mediator between the two by sending emissaries. On top of this, Chung Eui-yong, the chief of the National Security Office, guaranteed that he was 99.9 percent certain the North Korea-US summit will happen, but the summit was cancelled because of the 0.1 percent chance. It is important to throw away the happy-go-lucky way of thinking and realize the importance of managing the 0.1 percent variable in the interKorean relations and in North Korea-US relations.[6]
—After the second inter-Korean Summit
May 28, 2018 : Editorial — Kim Jong-un’s “Will for Complete Denuclearization” Must Be CVID
Then President Moon needs to persuade Kim Jong-un until the US negotiation team comes to the conclusion that Kim Jong-un, as promised, “has the will to completely denuclearize”. If not, Washington will not be able to erase the suspicion that Seoul is siding with Pyongyang to water down the denuclearization agenda. President Trump already spent a considerable amount of time that was given prior to the summit with President Moon on talking to the reporters and canceled the North Korea-US summit immediately after President Moon met with him and returned to Korea, embarrassing Cheong Wa Dae. These area signs that could be interpreted as a yellow card to President Moon’s credibility as a mediator between North Korea and the United States. For President Moon to maintain his position in the driver’s seat on the Korean Peninsula and achieve denuclearization and peace, he cannot but work as a strong team with the United States.[7]
The Hankyoreh
The Hankyoreh, a left-leaning newspaper, emphasized the importance of South Korea’s role in the discussion about the summit and praised President Moon’s efforts to thaw the relationship between the North and the US.
—After Donald Trump canceled the US-NK summit
May 25, 2018 : Editorial — We Welcome North Korea-US Efforts to Restore the Summit
In any case, it is time for both North Korea and the US to make special efforts. It is, therefore, worth considering the use of “thinking outside the box” and having the leaders of North Korea and the United States communicate directly to make a breakthrough in this emergency situation. We should not consider President Trump’s statement “If you change your mind… please do not hesitate to call me or write” as a formality. It is desperately necessary at this point for North Korea and the United States to continue the dialogue without closing the door to communication. Now that the situation has come to this point, the burden on the South Korean government is bigger. To resume the negotiation between North Korea and the United States, we need to operate the South-North-US channel through deeper cooperation. In particular, it is necessary to use the hotline (direct phone line) between the South and North Korean leaders, which has never been used since it was installed.[8]
—After the second inter-Korean Summit
May 28, 2018 : Editorial — Second Inter-Korean Summit Makes a Breakthrough in the North Korea-US summit
On May 26, President Moon Jae-in and Chairman Kim Jong-un held the second inter-Korean summit to prepare for the resumption of the NK-US summit. President Donald Trump of the United States also clarified his intention to continue pursuing the “June 12 NK-US summit in Singapore” after the inter-Korean summit was held. We highly appreciate how the prompt meeting between the leaders of North and South Korea as well as their active responses have revived the frustrated North Korea-US summit. Through this, the South Korean government’s position as the guide to the North Korea-US relations has become stronger.[9]
The Kyunghyang Shinmun
The Kyunghyang Shinmun,another left-leaning newspaper, published an op-ed criticizing the US for the cancellation of the summit. Its editorial board took a softer tone and urged both North Korea and the US to successfully hold the summit, while praising President Moon’s role in resuming the talks.
—After Donald Trump canceled the US-NK summit
May 25, 2018 : Yang Mu-jin — The United States’ Uncertainty and North Korea’s consistency
US president Donald Trump canceled the NK-US summit. He explained that it would be inappropriate to have the meeting because of the “tremendous anger and open hostility displayed” by the North. [The decision] seems to have been based on North Korea’s Senior Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Kye-gwan warning US National Security Advisor John Bolton and criticizing Vice President Mike Pence. It is unbecoming of a powerful country to shift all the blame onto North Korea. The remarks made by Kim Kye-gwan and Choe Son-hui were not targeted at the Trump administration but Bolton and Pence as individuals. From this, we can get a glimpse of their careful approach to not shake up the NK-US relations as a whole. Bolton and Pence had touted the prediction that North Korea might end up as Libya. Kim and Choe’s remarks contain a warning that North Korea should not be treated the same way as Libya. Negotiations in a distrusting relationship are followed by a heated power struggle that happens outside the negotiations. The power struggle between North Korea and the United States is a matter of course in the negotiation process. Interpreting the power struggle as hostility proves one’s ignorance of negotiations.[10]
—After the second inter-Korean Summit
May 27, 2018 : Editorial — Welcoming the Inter-Korean Summit and the Resumption of the North Korea-US Summit
Over the past three days, North Korea and the United States have experienced twists and turns concerning the NK-US summit. High ranking North Korean officials reacted harshly to the US pressure, and President Trump answered with the cancellation of the summit, driving the prospects of denuclearization to the brink of ruin before it was miraculously revived. However, this was not completely unproductive. Had the summit been held without resolving these elements of conflict, it is obvious that it would not have succeeded. It is necessary to be aware of the reality in which the North Korea-US relations, built on a weak foundation of trust, can always be broken. The journey to peace has only just begun. We need to keep in mind that war and confrontation are closer than peace and dialogue.
Thankfully, the turbulence across the Korean Peninsula has cleared, but the journey will not be smooth. It is necessary for North Korea and the United States to recognize that a practical approach and serious attitude have prevented the NK-US summit from failing. We hope that North Korea stops reversing agreements overnight and that the United States respects other parties.[11]
—After Trump said the US-NK summit was back on for June 12
June 1, 2018: Editorial — Trump Receives a Letter from Kim Jong-un, Boosting the NK-US Summit
This is the first time in 18 years for a high-ranking North Korean official to visit the US and meet the US president, since Jo Myong-rok, First Vice-Chairman of the National Defense Commission of North Korea, met with President Bill Clinton in 2000. At the time, Jo and Clinton adopted the DPRK-US Joint Communiqué, which contained the mutual recognition of sovereignty, end to hostility, Clinton’s visit to North Korea, and the establishment of a peaceful system. However, with the inauguration of the George W. Bush administration, which took a hard-line position on North Korea, the agreement was never implemented. We hope that this time, North Korea and the US thoroughly prepare for the summit so as not to repeat the failure of the past.[12]
Hankook Ilbo
As the only ‘centrist’ newspaper in Korea, Hankook Ilbo reasserted President Moon’s call for North Korea and the US to resume summit talks through direct dialogue and once again urged President Moon to continue his efforts to mediate.
—After Donald Trump canceled the US-NK summit
May 25, 2018 : Editorial — North Korea and US Leaders Must Keep the Summit Talks Going Through Direct Dialogue
Through this incident, North Korea and the United States only confirmed that their distrust is too deep to reverse the 70-year-long hostility in one stroke. According to the Washington Post, President Trump was extremely anxious because the North Korean delegation did not attend the working-level meeting that had been scheduled two weeks previously in Singapore. President Trump, believing that a successful summit would be unlikely under such circumstances, then implemented the extreme measure of canceling the summit. Regardless of whether that is true or not, it is true that the power struggle and the war of nerves between North Korea and the United States were rather precarious after North Korea changed its attitude.[13]
—After the second inter-Korean Summit
May 27, 2018 : Editorial — The Second Inter-Korean Summit Put the June 12 North Korea-US Summit Back Into Orbit
We cannot gloss over President Moon’s mediation efforts to restart the North Korea-US summit talks. About the second inter-Korean summit, President Moon said, “What is unclear to Chairman Kim is not the will for denuclearization but the concern about trusting the promise by the United States to end hostile relations and guarantee the safety of the [North Korean] regime.” President Moon then persuaded Chairman Kim by reiterating President Trump’s statement at the SK-US summit, where he guaranteed the security of the regime and mentioned the possibility of tremendous economic incentives in exchange for North Korea’s denuclearization. This would not have been easy had [President Moon] not traveled to Washington and Panmunjeom in five days and cleared the path for communication between North Korea, South Korea, and the United States. This also attests to the fact that President Moon should not stop mediating for the success of the NK-US summit by relaying even the most trivial concerns of Chairman Kim’s to President Trump.[14]
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