"Three-track" road to N. Korea-U.S. Summit: Talks in Panmunjom, Singapore, New York
- 6 years ago
북미 실무협상, 실제론 '쓰리 트랙' 대화채널' 가동
The summit that some thought was improbable did not become a reality quickly nor easily.
New York, Singapore, and Panmunjom on the inter-Korean border.
According to our Oh Soo-young, talks through three different channels paved the way.
Ahead of the anticipated summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, officials from both sides have shuttled through the so-called 'three track' preparation talks,... to make the historic meeting happen,... and pave the way for a deal on denuclearizing the North.
Despite uncertainty over whether the two leaders would meet as planned on June 12th, after the U.S. leader abruptly called the summit off,... the pre-summit talks began in the last week of May in Singapore, in New York City, and at the inter-Korean village of Panmunjom.
Attending the Panmunjom talks from North Korea's side were Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, and Choe Kang-il who oversees North American affairs.
The U.S. delegates included Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, and specialists on Korea and Asia affairs Allison Hooker and Randall Schriver.
"They would have reached, to a certain extent, a broad agreement and timeframe on the complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization that the U.S. pushed for. The North has requested a gradual, step-by-step process with compensation including a security guarantee. Such a procedure would be needed for inspection and removal of the nuclear weapons, so the U.S. may have agreed implicitly."
Meanwhile, the heads of protocol from both sides held talks in Singapore over the technical details of the summit -- including security, protocol, and the specific meeting venue.
Over in New York,... high-level meetings took place between Kim Jong-un's top aide and former spy chief Kim Yong-chol,... U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and the CIA's Korea desk chief Andrew Kim.
After the North Korean official's subsequent meeting with President Trump, the summit was declared back on again.
"His visit was the final piece of the puzzle. It seems talks on the protocol as well as the agenda had been wrapped up to a certain extent. So, along with the results of his meeting with Pompeo, he would have personally conveyed Kim Jong-un's views on denuclearization to Trump -- as well as the personal letter expressing his will to hold the talks."
The two sides may have agreed on the wider framework on denuclearization, but the expert says the devil is in the details, and that Tuesday's summit is just the first of many discussions to come.
Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.
The summit that some thought was improbable did not become a reality quickly nor easily.
New York, Singapore, and Panmunjom on the inter-Korean border.
According to our Oh Soo-young, talks through three different channels paved the way.
Ahead of the anticipated summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, officials from both sides have shuttled through the so-called 'three track' preparation talks,... to make the historic meeting happen,... and pave the way for a deal on denuclearizing the North.
Despite uncertainty over whether the two leaders would meet as planned on June 12th, after the U.S. leader abruptly called the summit off,... the pre-summit talks began in the last week of May in Singapore, in New York City, and at the inter-Korean village of Panmunjom.
Attending the Panmunjom talks from North Korea's side were Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, and Choe Kang-il who oversees North American affairs.
The U.S. delegates included Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, and specialists on Korea and Asia affairs Allison Hooker and Randall Schriver.
"They would have reached, to a certain extent, a broad agreement and timeframe on the complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization that the U.S. pushed for. The North has requested a gradual, step-by-step process with compensation including a security guarantee. Such a procedure would be needed for inspection and removal of the nuclear weapons, so the U.S. may have agreed implicitly."
Meanwhile, the heads of protocol from both sides held talks in Singapore over the technical details of the summit -- including security, protocol, and the specific meeting venue.
Over in New York,... high-level meetings took place between Kim Jong-un's top aide and former spy chief Kim Yong-chol,... U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and the CIA's Korea desk chief Andrew Kim.
After the North Korean official's subsequent meeting with President Trump, the summit was declared back on again.
"His visit was the final piece of the puzzle. It seems talks on the protocol as well as the agenda had been wrapped up to a certain extent. So, along with the results of his meeting with Pompeo, he would have personally conveyed Kim Jong-un's views on denuclearization to Trump -- as well as the personal letter expressing his will to hold the talks."
The two sides may have agreed on the wider framework on denuclearization, but the expert says the devil is in the details, and that Tuesday's summit is just the first of many discussions to come.
Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.