US (left) and North Korean flags. (123rf)
A third US-North Korea summit is unlikely before the US presidential election in November, but the door is open to diplomacy, US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said Monday.
“I think it’s probably unlikely between now and the US election,” Biegun told a forum hosted by the Washington-based think tank German Marshall Fund when asked about a potential summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The US point man on North Korea, however, said there was still time for the two sides to engage each other to make more progress in the nuclear negotiations, stalled over conflicting demands from Washington to denuclearize first and from Pyongyang to ease sanctions first.
Biegun, who at the forum called the coronavirus pandemic a “wet blanket” rendering an in-person summit difficult to open, was reportedly set to visit South Korea in early July, in what would be the first visit by any American ranking official since the outbreak of the pandemic this year.
Seoul’s Foreign Ministry was in consultation with local health authorities to grant Biegun a waiver so he would not have to undergo self-quarantine procedures upon entry, as demanded from all incoming foreign nationals, a local report said, citing unnamed sources.
Two weeks ago in the US, Biegun -- who is expected stay here no more than three days, according to those sources -- discussed inter-Korean issues including North Korea with his counterpart Lee Do-hoon, Seoul’s chief nuclear negotiator.
Experts said the two chief nuclear envoys would most likely release a message for the North while it is still mulling its next step after having suspended the military action it had promised against the South as retaliation for allowing defectors to fly anti-North Korea leaflets into Pyongyang.
Pyongyang demolished an inter-Korean liaison office in protest but put off military action it said would follow.
“Leader Kim didn’t withdraw from aggression; he postponed it,” said Moon Chung-in, President Moon’s special adviser for foreign and security affairs.
“Pyongyang should come to engagement after some time.”
Other experts said Biegun could be coming to help seal the deal on defense cost-sharing for the upkeep of 28,500 American troops here. Seoul and Washington have yet to reach agreement because of differences over the costs South Korea should shoulder this time.
By Choi Si-young (
siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com)