In his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, Kim reiterated that denuclearization of the peninsula is the “will of the ancestors,” but called on Seoul and Washington to take progressive steps.

The surprise meeting between Kim and Xi was held in Beijing, marking Kim’s first trip outside North Korea since taking power in 2011. His visit was confirmed by Chinese and North Korean media on Wednesday.

Kim was accompanied by his wife Ri Sol-ju, and top-ranking officials including Choe Ryong-hae and Kim Yong-chol.

Choe is the vice chairman of the North Korean ruling party’s central committee, and Kim Yong-chol is a ranking party official who is suspected of masterminding a number of attacks on South Korea.

“The issue of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula can be resolved, if South Korea and the United States respond to our efforts with goodwill, create an atmosphere of peace and stability while taking progressive and synchronous measures for the realization of peace,” Kim Jong-un was quoted as saying by the Chinese Xinhua News Agency.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, is seen talking with Chinese President Xi Jinping on March 28. (Yonhap)

The “progressive and synchronous measures” are likely a reference to compromise on the part of Seoul and Washington, which the allies have ruled out without verifiable and irreversible denuclearization.

North Korea has long called for the cessation of joint South Korea-US military drills, saying that US military presence is detrimental to stability in the region and a direct threat to the regime. Pyongyang has also threatened retaliation against the US, claiming that international sanctions are an “act of war.”

The efforts made by North Korea include offering to meet with South Korean and US leaders, and to halt nuclear and missile tests while related processes are underway.

Kim is set to meet President Moon Jae-in at the end of April, and US President Donald Trump sometime in May.

Regardless of the implications of Kim’s comments, Cheong Wa Dae is taking the related developments as a positive sign ahead of the summits.

“Kim’s comments from the summit (with Xi), such as that denuclearization is the will of his ancestors, signal positive effects for the inter-Korean and US-North Korea summits,” a high-level Cheong Wa Dae official said on condition of anonymity.

He added that Cheong Wa Dae would elaborate on its position after Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi’s visit to Seoul, and that the presidential office is handling North Korea-related issues with “all possibilities in mind.”

According to Cheong Wa Dae, Yang will brief Seoul officials on the Kim-Xi meeting on Thursday when he visits as Xi’s special representative. During his stay, Yang is to meet with Moon and his National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong.

(Yonhap)

“During his visit (Yang) will provide a detailed account of the North Korea-China summit, and discuss current issues in South Korea-China relations including denuclearization of the peninsula,” said Yoon Young-chan, Moon’s chief press secretary.

Although Cheong Wa Dae remains tightlipped, the presidential office is said to have had information on the Kim-Xi meeting.

Beijing is said to have informed Seoul of Kim’s visit at some point between Saturday and Tuesday.

Seoul’s presidential office declined to pinpoint when it was informed of Kim’s trip to China, saying only that Moon was briefed on the developments while in the United Arab Emirates. Moon was in the UAE from Saturday until Tuesday.

The White House also revealed that China notified the US of Kim’s visit on Tuesday (US EST), According to White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, the Chinese government also relayed a personal message from Xi to Trump.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)

John Mearsheimer, a professor at the University of Chicago, said there is a chance that the Trump-Kim summit may not materialize, or if the talks fail, the two counties could return to the level of animosity of last year.

“It’s not clear whether they will meet … there is hardly any preparations for the meeting and there is a good chance they won’t meet,” Mearsheimer said during a lecture hosted by the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies on Wednesday.

“The great danger there is that if the summit happens between Kim Jong-un and Trump and it fails, then you could end up in a situation where relations between the US and North Korea are worse after the failed summit than they have been over the past years.”

(Herald DB)

Tension on the Korean Peninsula had escalated last year, with Trump and Kim exchanging war-like rhetoric with each other. Trump threatened to attack North Korea with “fire and fury,” prompting Kim to call Trump a “mentally deranged dotard.”

The bellicose mood shifted this year when Kim made a diplomatic overture by inviting South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in and Trump for summits. Kim even expressed willingness to bring denuclearization to the negotiation table.

But Mearsheimer said there are no incentives for the nuclear-armed North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, saying the North is in a “completely different” situation from countries that abandoned their nuclear weapons when the Cold War ended in the 1990s.

“I can’t think of a country that needs nuclear weapons more than North Korea because you all know that the US is into a regime change,” the scholar said, referring to previous debates over military strikes on North Korea within the Trump’s administration.

“From their point of view, it will make eminently good sense. We don’t see any evidence that the US, which has the most powerful conventional forces in the world, is giving up their nuclear weapons. So why would you expect North Korea to do so?”

Regarding President Moon’s engagement policy with North Korea, Mearsheimer said it is helpful in reducing inter-Korean tensions for now, but its longer-term implications remain to be seen, as the prospects of the summits with North Korea look bleak.

John Mearsheimer, a professor at the University of Chicago. (Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies­)

“I think it is very smart policy. He did everything possible to tamp down the tension and get the US and North Korea to walk away from the cliff. I think President Moon did the right thing and pushed us in that direction.”

“How it plays out in the long term? It’s very hard to say. It’s not clear if there will be a happy ending to the summit. I think it’s more likely there will be an unhappy ending. … For the time being, I think it is good to walk away from the crisis.”

Mearsheimer has long asserted that the US and China would end up in a “security competition” that could end in major conflicts and that Washington should contain the rise of China by building a “balancing coalition.”

In his perspective, the security landscape surrounding East Asia is much more precarious than during the Cold War, and the likelihood of war between the US and China is higher than between the US and the Soviet Union.

But the scholar predicted such a scenario would not be fulfilled in the foreseeable future, as China wants to avoid conflicts — particularly those with the US and its allies — until it becomes powerful enough to compete with Washington.

“The Chinese are fully aware that provoking the US is not a good idea. … I think the Chinese understand that time is on their side (and) now is not the time to provoke the crisis,” he said.

By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)

According to Seoul’s presidential office, Moon and Trump spoke over the telephone for about 35 minutes from around 10 p.m., discussing issues surrounding North Korea, and Seoul-Washington relations.

President Moon Jae-in (left) and US President Donald Trump. Yonhap

“Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is the most important objective in achieving peace not on the peninsula but in the world,” Moon was quoted as saying by his chief press secretary Yoon Young-chan.

“Concessions on (denuclearization) cannot be made under any circumstances, and that is our adamant position.”

According to Yoon, Moon also touched on the issue of Washington’s trade policies, saying that the strength of the alliance should be made visible, hinting at Seoul’s desires to see Washington easing its protectionist measures.

Yoon also revealed that Moon briefed Trump on the results of his national security officers’ visits to China, Russia and Japan, and said that these countries fully support US-North Korea talks. Yoon added that the two leaders agreed to maintain close cooperation “in every step to enable North Korea to take action towards denuclearization.”

Seoul’s National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong, and National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon had traveled to China, Russian and Japan to rally support for inter-Korean and US-North Korea talks.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)