US special representative for North Korea in Seoul to prepare for next phase of talks
US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun lands in Seoul today to discuss the resumption of denuclearisation talks with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Do-hoon.
Since the breakdown of the February Hanoi Summit, dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang has soured. Last week, tensions between the North and South spiked after Pyongyang called off peace talks with Seoul. Kim Jong-un blames South Korea for the break in peace talks, following President Moon Jae-in’s vow to reunify the Korean peninsula by 2045 in a speech made late last week.
However, joint military exercises between Washington and Seoulend today, which could be used as a Segway to resume denuclearisatio talks.
With little progress made in Washington’s attempts to finalise the “fully verified denuclearisation” of North Korea, these talks will be very important for US President Trump as he seeks re-election in 2020. Should working level talks resume, Trump could offer the partial easing of sanctions for the partial destruction of the nuclear weapons infrastructure of North Korea.
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