Authentic news,No fake news.
A new era dawned in South Korea this week after liberal candidate Moon Jae-in was elected president. The country had been without a leader for 60 days, and before that, rocked by a corruption scandal that drew crowds of protesters to the streets every week for months, until former President Park Geun-hye was impeached and jailed.
Moon, the son of Korean War refugees, won more than 40 percent of the vote by appealing to the country’s hunger for political and economic reform.
With Moon in power, expectations are high Seoul’s North Korea policy would shift dramatically. In his inaugural address, Moon said he would “go to Pyongyang†under the right circumstances, and for the “peace of the Korean peninsula.â€
Some in South Korea, including business executives who were forced to shut down operations at a jointly operated factory park in North Korea, want Moon to hold to his promise of not only reopening the Kaesong complex, but to abide by his proposal to expand the plant.
Such moves, however, would run afoul of United Nations Security Council sanctions resolutions and U.S. expectations. Analysts also say it’s unlikely such a reversal of previous policies could take place so quickly.
In the meantime, Moon and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to cooperate closely on North Korea, and the new South Korean president described the bilateral alliance with the United States as “the foundation of our foreign policy.â€
Moon also spoke with China’s Xi Jinping in a bid to ease tensions with Korea’s largest trading partner.
Beijing waited until after the elections to announce the test of a new missile in waters near the Korean peninsula.
The test comes after China warned South Korea of “necessary measures†that would be taken after the deployment of the U.S. missile defense system THAAD.
China may also be stepping up sanctions against North Korea. According to Chinese sources, the government is looking into shutting down a major bridge that connects the two countries.
Meanwhile, the absence of a nuclear provocation from North Korea does not mean tensions will subside.
According to Chinese analyst Liu Ming, North Korea is biding time until the United States initiates direct negotiations. The two sides should meet before a sixth nuclear test closes a window of opportunity, the analyst said.
Moon, the son of Korean War refugees, won more than 40 percent of the vote by appealing to the country’s hunger for political and economic reform.
With Moon in power, expectations are high Seoul’s North Korea policy would shift dramatically. In his inaugural address, Moon said he would “go to Pyongyang†under the right circumstances, and for the “peace of the Korean peninsula.â€
Some in South Korea, including business executives who were forced to shut down operations at a jointly operated factory park in North Korea, want Moon to hold to his promise of not only reopening the Kaesong complex, but to abide by his proposal to expand the plant.
Such moves, however, would run afoul of United Nations Security Council sanctions resolutions and U.S. expectations. Analysts also say it’s unlikely such a reversal of previous policies could take place so quickly.
In the meantime, Moon and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to cooperate closely on North Korea, and the new South Korean president described the bilateral alliance with the United States as “the foundation of our foreign policy.â€
Moon also spoke with China’s Xi Jinping in a bid to ease tensions with Korea’s largest trading partner.
Beijing waited until after the elections to announce the test of a new missile in waters near the Korean peninsula.
The test comes after China warned South Korea of “necessary measures†that would be taken after the deployment of the U.S. missile defense system THAAD.
China may also be stepping up sanctions against North Korea. According to Chinese sources, the government is looking into shutting down a major bridge that connects the two countries.
Meanwhile, the absence of a nuclear provocation from North Korea does not mean tensions will subside.
According to Chinese analyst Liu Ming, North Korea is biding time until the United States initiates direct negotiations. The two sides should meet before a sixth nuclear test closes a window of opportunity, the analyst said.
No comments:
Post a Comment