2차 북미회담까지 보름...'영변 핵시설 폐기' 논의 집중<br /><br />Staying with the second Pyeongyang-Washington summit slated for later this month in Hanoi.<br />To work towards reaching a deal on denuclearization, the two sides are set to hold additional talks.<br />Park Hee Jun zooms in on the discussions expected to help them inch closer to an agreement. With only two weeks remaining until the second North Korea-U.S. summit, a key question remains: will North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump forge a deal that can satisfy both sides?<br />North Korea and the U.S. are searching for a balance between what Pyeongyang should do to fulfill its commitments toward denuclearization,... and what Washington should offer in return.<br />Dismantling and verifying the North's Yeongbyeon Nuclear Complex would be the priority,... as it's a key facility that produces both plutonium and uranium-- two essential materials for making nuclear weapons.<br />Kim mentioned it in the Pyeongyang Joint Declaration last September.<br />U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun also recently said at Stanford University,... that Kim pledged to shut it down.<br />And ideal concessions from the U.S., could involve declaring an end to the Korean War and setting up a liaison office in Pyeongyang.<br />North Korea has also been demanding sanctions relief,... but that would likely require a bolder step than destroying the Yeongbyeon complex.<br />These were among the issues discussed in Pyeongyang last week,... by Biegun and his North Korean counterpart Kim Hyok-chol.<br />The two sides are scheduled to continue their working-level negotiations in a third Asian country next week.<br />Their second round of talks should help lay the groundwork for the two leaders' joint statement,... and determine whether the second summit has more substance than the first.<br />According to the Blue House, South Korean President Moon Jae-in is also expected to discuss the summit with President Trump, likely over the phone next week.<br />How President Moon mediates between the two sides will also be an important variable,... that could determine the success of the upcoming Vietnam summit.<br />Park Hee-jun, Arirang News.
