US-North Korea Summit: A diplomatic earthquake come true?

Trump's "all-in gamble"

According toNew York TimesMr. Trump's acceptance of Mr. Kim Jong-un's proposal is considered a diplomatic "earthquake" when not long before, both leaders had continuously made extremely harsh statements aimed at each other.

However, according to experts, this is still "a positive breakthrough" for the relationship between the two countries and it is even more remarkable that the person who brought this good news to the world was Mr. Chung Eui-yong - who participated in the South Korean delegation to North Korea recently.

This information was also confirmed by White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders with an official statement that "the time and location of the meeting are being arranged and the US is aiming for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula". However, Ms. Sanders warned: "Before that summit takes place, all sanctions on North Korea will remain in place".

According to many experts, Mr. Trump's agreement to meet Mr. Kim Jong-un is considered an "all-in gamble." This is because no sitting US President has ever met a North Korean leader before.

US and North Korea simultaneously back down

Moreover, Mr. Trump himself has publicly rejected the possibility of direct dialogue with North Korea unless the country takes “concrete steps” to disarm its nuclear arsenal and takes further concrete actions to demonstrate its sincerity.

Although there has not been any “concrete action” as demanded by Mr. Trump, the North Korean side has more or less shown its goodwill when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced to South Korean delegates earlier this week that North Korea is ready to talk with the US about the issue of denuclearization.

Mr. Kim Jong-un also proposed that North Korea suspend missile and nuclear tests during the negotiations and affirmed that he would not object to the joint US-South Korea military exercises scheduled to take place in early April as he had done before.

This proposal of Mr. Kim Jong-un was then conveyed to Mr. Trump by two representatives of South Korea, National Security Adviser to President Moon-Jae-in, Mr. Chung Eui-yong and Director of the National Intelligence Service Suh Hoon during a meeting at the White House. The two South Korean officials are said to have also passed on to Mr. Trump a “secret message” that Pyongyang wanted to send to Washington.

The visits to Pyongyang and Washington by Mr. Chung Eui-yong and Mr. Suh Hoon are considered by experts to be a great effort by the South Korean side to persuade North Korea and the US to cool down tensions towards a dialogue.

South Korea itself is also looking to speed up the process of improving relations with North Korea, and the two Koreas have also agreed to hold a summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the end of April - right before the US-North Korea summit.

Korean Bridge

Since taking office in May 2017, South Korean President Moon Jae-in has repeatedly called on North Korea to accept dialogue even as US President Donald Trump continues to increase pressure on North Korea by tightening sanctions, increasing military moves and posting tough tweets.

North Korea received Moon Jae-in's goodwill with extreme caution and reserve. North Korea continued its series of missile and nuclear tests and only suddenly proposed dialogue with South Korea on the first day of 2018, along with a statement that it was ready to send athletes to the PyeongChang Olympics in South Korea.

North Korea has made good on its promises by sending hundreds of athletes, cheerleaders and singers to South Korea to compete in the PyeongChang Olympics, bringing a “warm breeze” to this emotionally charged Winter Olympics, both politically and sportingly.

During the PyeongChang Olympics, the two Koreas also exchanged high-level delegations. Notably, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent his sister Kim Yo-jong as a special envoy to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Experts say that through the PyeongChang Olympics, South Korea has played an active role as a bridge to help the US and North Korea get closer together and avoid the risk of military conflict on the Korean peninsula.