SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - For a few months, everything seemed to be clicking for South Korean President Moon Jae[1]-in as he pieced together crucial nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea[2] following a year of intense animosity.
But he now enters a White House[3] meeting with President Donald Trump[4] with his status in the diplomatic driver’s seat in doubt.
Pyongyang[5]’s surprise move last week to break off a high-level meeting with Seoul[6] over U.S.-South Korean military drills while threatening to cancel next month’s summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Trump[7] cooled what had been an unusual flurry of diplomatic moves from the country after a provocative series of nuclear and missile tests.
It also underscored Seoul[8]’s delicate role as an intermediary between Washington and Pyongyang[9] and raised questions about Moon[10]’s claim that Kim[11] has genuine intent to deal away his nukes.
Seoul[12] may lose much of its voice if Trump[13] chooses to deal more directly with China[14], North Korea[15]’s only major ally, which is refusing to be sidelined in the global diplomatic push to resolve the nuclear standoff.
Seoul[16]’s presidential office said this week’s meeting between Moon[17] and Trump[18] will be mainly focused on preparing Trump[19] for his summit with Kim[20], scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.
A look ahead at the Moon-Trump[21] meeting and the challenges they face with Kim[22]:
___
WHITE HOUSE[23] TO SINGAPORE...
Seoul[24] insists Kim[25] can be persuaded to abandon his nuclear facilities, materials and bombs in a verifiable and irreversible way in exchange for credible security and economic guarantees.Moon and Trump[26] will likely discuss potential steps that Trump[27] can put on the table in Singapore. Their meeting at the White House[28] may also include discussions on setting up three-way talks with Pyongyang[29] or four-way talks also including Beijing to negotiate a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.Moon and Trump[30] may exchange views on whether the allies should temporarily modify their joint military drills while engaging in denuclearization negotiations with North Korea[31], said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea[32] expert at Seoul[33]’s Dongguk University and a policy adviser to Moon[34]. There could also be deeper discussions on the future of the U.S.-South Korea alliance.South Korea maintains an optimistic outlook for the Trump-Kim[35] talks. Moon[36]’s foreign minister, Kang Kyung-wha,