Munich Security Conference attracts top officials as North Korea summit looms
Some 35 heads of state, 50 foreign ministers and 30 defence ministers are expected to converge at the Munich Security Conference, a two-day summit that starts today in Germany.
Given the unprecedented level of participants, a wide range of issues will be discussed—both on the conference floor and during sideline bilateral meetings. However, efforts to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula are likely to overshadow other topics at least in significance and timeliness—Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un will meet for a second-round of direct talks in Vietnam starting on February 27.
The US has expressed concern over North Korea’s continued activities in support of advancing its nuclear program—such as its continued production of plutonium and highly enriched uranium—despite its promise at the last summit to commit itself to “complete denuclearization”.
Expect conference attendees, most notably NATO member-states, to talk details of what form a potential US-North Korea “nuclear deal” in Vietnam could take. Suggestions could include sovereignty guarantees on the part of the US to Chairman Kim, allowing UN inspectors to enter his country.
Delve deeper: 2019 forecast: inter-Korean relations on track
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