MOSCOW, September 19. /TASS/. The outcome of the Pyongyang meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in has exceeded all expectations, Director of the Russian Strategy for Asia Center of the Institute of Economics at Russia’s Academy of Sciences Georgy Toloraya told TASS on Wednesday. According to him, by putting forward specific denuclearization initiatiaitves, North Korea has thrown the ball to the US court.
"The North Koreans have not only declared peace and signed an agreement on ending dangerous military activities and suspending drills in the maritime area separating the two countries, but also put forward some specific initiatives," the expert said. "In particular, Kim Jong-un suggested voluntarily dismantling the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site under international expert control. Moreover, few expected that the North Korean leader would agree to dismantle the nuclear reactor at the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center provided that the United States took certain steps," Toloraya said, adding that "it means that the ball is now in the US court."
Toloraya also said that the inter-Korean summit "may also prove to be a breakthrough as far as arranging a second meeting between Kim Jong-un and Trump is concerned," as well as facilitate North Korea-US dialogue.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in early September that the United States and North Korea were working to arrange the second meeting between the two countries’ leaders, who had held their first summit in Singapore on June 12.
Mutual agreements
When speaking about dialogue between the two Korean states, Toloraya pointed out that the agreements reached in Pyongyang [which concern civilian exchanges, economic cooperation, the reopening of the Kaesong Industrial Region and the relaunch of the Mount Kumgang tourist project] "are important and prove that both South and North Korea are determined to develop close cooperation."
At the same time, the Russian expert noted that given Kim Jong-un’s promise to visit Seoul, "one can say that dialogue between the two Koreas is becoming a regular practice." "High-level dialogue is becoming a regular factor in global politics. It is a serious success and progress in stabilizing the situation on the Korean Peninsula," he added.
Meanwhile, the US establishment’s reaction remains to be seen. "Trump has already expressed his opinion but it does not mean that the establishment, which seeks to maintain sanctions on North Korea, will be happy about it," he concluded.
Inter-Korean summit
An inter-Korean summit, the third this year and the fifth in history, is taking place in Pyongyang on September 18-20.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in signed a joint declaration at their meeting in Pyongyang on Wednesday, in which they agreed to take measures for further denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, improve bilateral relations and resume cooperation in areas where it is possible at the moment. Besides, the two countries’ defense ministers signed an agreement aimed at reducing military tensions and the risk of an armed conflict.
The first two inter-Korean summits, involving South Korean Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, as well as late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, took place in Pyongyang in 2000 and 2007.
Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in held talks twice in the border village of Panmunjom earlier in the year.