ⓒ YONHAP News

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden held their first summit on May 21. Much attention was paid to the summit, which came after the U.S. completed its policy review on North Korea. After the summit, Moon mentioned on social media that it was the best visit and the best summit ever, while Biden reportedly said that he was satisfied with the talks and he was impressed by Moon’s honesty.

Here is political commentator Choi Young-il to explain the significance of the Moon-Biden summit. 

The latest South Korea-U.S. summit was significant in many ways. It dealt with traditional mutual concerns, including how to develop the bilateral alliance. On top of the conventional discussion topics, South Korea sought to share the U.S.-led vaccine technology in order to cope with the pandemic more preemptively, while the U.S. needed South Korean investments in the U.S. to build semiconductor infrastructure amid its economic conflict with China. With Washington seeking to keep Beijing in check, Seoul is growing anxious about how to strike a balance between its two important trade partners. Against the backdrop, the summit included more complicated topics than ever before. To come to the point, South Korea managed to reflect its position in most areas. In this respect, many analysts evaluate the summit positively. 

As expected, North Korea-related issues comprised one of the most attention-grabbing parts of the summit. In a joint statement issued after the summit, Biden and Moon reaffirmed their belief that diplomacy and dialogue based on previous inter-Korean and U.S.-North Korea commitments, such as the 2018 Panmunjom Declaration and the Singapore Joint Statement, are essential for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of permanent peace in the region. The joint statement also shows that Biden expressed his support for inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation. This part indicates that future negotiations will be based on previous agreements between the two Koreas and between North Korea and the U.S. 

The South Korean government had been concerned that North Korea-U.S. relations might not advance or even deteriorate, compared to those during the years of the former Donald Trump administration. 

But the joint statement shows that the U.S. will respect South Korea’s position when addressing North Korea-related issues, while still maintaining their security alliance. 

The recent South Korea-U.S. summit paved the way for the two countries to pursue diplomatic solutions, on the basis of the existing achievements and the Seoul government’s consistent peace efforts. I think this is greatly significant. 

In March, North Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Sun-hui said in a statement that the North would not make any contact or hold dialogue with the U.S. unless Washington withdraws its hostile policy toward Pyongyang. In another statement in May, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry spokesman lashed out at the U.S. for criticizing the North’s human rights situation, saying that it’s an act of insulting leader Kim Jong-un. 

Attention was drawn to how the latest South Korea-U.S. summit would deal with these parts, which North Korea had previously shown a sensitive response to. It seems that the summit handled these issues just in principle.  

Biden and Moon agreed to work together to improve the human rights situation in North Korea but also pledged to continue to provide humanitarian aid to North Korean people. I’d say that the U.S. signaled its willingness to help out North Korean people in need, rather than criticizing the country’s human rights issue. While the joint statement did not indicate that the U.S. would drop its hostile policy toward North Korea, the U.S. did not say, either, that it is hostile toward the North. It remains to be seen how North Korea will interpret these signals. 

At a joint press conference after the summit, Biden announced that Sung Kim was appointed as U.S. special envoy to North Korea. Along with North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Sun-hui, Kim worked out a draft agreement ahead of the first North Korea-U.S. summit in Singapore in 2018. The appointment of the veteran diplomat as Biden’s special envoy to North Korea is considered a practical measure to show Washington’s commitment to dialogue with Pyongyang. 

Sung Kim is familiar with North Korea. He played a key role in facilitating the Singapore summit between the U.S. and the North. In this sense, North Korea will welcome his appointment. Born in South Korea, he moved to the U.S. when he was a teenager and became a successful diplomat and expert on North Korea. The Biden administration made a practical choice, as the U.S. and the two Koreas would all be satisfied with Kim on the whole. 

Some speculated previously that the U.S. might first name a special envoy on North Korean human rights. If it had happened, North Korea would have been pretty upset, regarding it as an insult. The appointment of a U.S. special envoy on North Korea, who would be in charge of communication with the North, shows that the U.S. prioritizes diplomatic communication. That’s why the appointment is considered a positive development. 

As a substantial outcome in the military area, South Korea and the U.S. agreed to terminate their missile guidelines. This means that South Korea has restored its “missile sovereignty” after 42 years. 

The missile guidelines date back to 1979 under the former Park Chung-hee government. The guidelines put limits on the range and payload of South Korea’s missiles to 180 kilometers and 500 kilograms, respectively. The restrictions have long banned South Korea from developing missiles independently. The guidelines have since been revised four times, extending the range and easing the payload restriction as well. 

During the latest South Korea-U.S. summit, the two countries agreed to scrap the missile guidelines. As you know, missiles are key weapons in modern warfare. It is highly significant, both symbolically and realistically, that South Korea has now secured its military right to develop its own missiles without any restrictions. 

This is one of the most important results of the recent South Korea-U.S. summit. 

North Korea, meanwhile, has remained silent since it simply confirmed Washington’s proposal to explain the outcome of its North Korea policy review. The official Rodong Sinmun newspaper has not mentioned the South Korea-U.S. summit at all but has focused mostly on domestic affairs. Attention turns to how North Korea may act down the road. 

Most of all, the leaders of South Korea and the U.S. used the phrase, “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” which was agreed upon by North Korea as well, to give Pyongyang more room to participate in dialogue. Now, the key is how North Korea will react. It may push ahead with some provocations in the initial stage before softening its attitude in a bid to strengthen its bargaining power. Or, it may ask for candid talks. Basically, Pyongyang’s aggressive attitude or harsh rhetoric indicates its hope to engage in dialogue. With different scenarios in mind, we’ll have to wait and see North Korea’s next moves. 

It is assumed that Pyongyang is analyzing Washington’s new North Korea policy. It remains to be seen whether the latest South Korea-U.S. summit will provide momentum to find a breakthrough in the stalled inter-Korean ties as well as in North Korea-U.S. relations.