Park Jie-won: "President Lee will act as a messenger between Trump and Kim Jong Un"

"Expectations for a North Korea-US Summit at the APEC Summit"
"Suspension of Loudspeaker Broadcasts Toward the South Is a Positive Signal for Inter-Korean Relations"

Park Jie-won, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, predicted, "If President Donald Trump visits Korea to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, a North Korea-US summit could take place. In this case, President Lee Jaemyung could serve as a messenger." The APEC summit is scheduled to be held in Gyeongju at the end of October.

On June 18, during an appearance on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyunjung's News Show,' Park said, "President Trump's ultimate goal is the Nobel Peace Prize," and explained, "If the Russia-Ukraine war ends and the North Korean issue is resolved, the Nobel Peace Prize is virtually guaranteed for him, so the United States is already likely pursuing a North Korea-US summit." He added, "It is crucial that Korea is never sidelined in the communication between North Korea and the United States."

Regarding the format of the summit, Park explained, "Since Pyongyang lacks facilities such as an airport that are suitable for receiving a US president, the method used by former President Moon Jae-in?meeting Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, at the Freedom House in Panmunjom?could be utilized. There is also the possibility of President Trump holding the summit at Panmungak or a hotel in Kaesong."

Citizens are watching related news in the Seoul Station waiting room on June 30, 2019, when Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, and President Donald Trump met at Panmunjom. Photo by Kang Jinhyung aymsdream@

He also viewed North Korea's suspension of loudspeaker broadcasts toward the South as a positive signal for improving inter-Korean relations. Park said, "When President Lee suspended the loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea, North Korea also halted its broadcasts toward the South," adding, "Chairman Kim responded to this conciliatory gesture."

He predicted, "Although Chairman Kim is currently engaged in economic cooperation and troop dispatches with Russia, his ultimate goal is to improve North Korea-US relations in order to secure regime guarantees and the lifting of economic sanctions." He continued, "Although there is lingering bitterness from the Hanoi summit, I believe that North Korea-US contact is taking place that could bring the situation back to the level of the Singapore summit." At the 2018 North Korea-US summit in Singapore, President Trump promised security guarantees to North Korea on the condition of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but the following year's North Korea-US summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, ended with 'no deal,' resulting in a continued stalemate between the two countries.