Hanoi Summit Explained: The Key Players’ Views

KOREA CHAIR EXPLAINS • 28/02/2019

By Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Tongfi Kim, Linde Desmaele, Maximilian Ernst

04.03.2019

This edition of Korea Chair Explains offers the views of South Korea, the US, Japan and China on the Hanoi Trump-Kim Summit of 27-28 February 2019.

The lack of agreement in the Vietnam summit is a significant but not unsurmountable bump in the road towards inter-Korean reconciliation, which remains South Korea’s key goal. Seoul had prepared to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Korean Independence movement with a US-North Korea peace declaration wrapped. This would have been hugely symbolic, since it would have allowed President Moon to confidently declare the start of a new era in the Korean Peninsula. Nonetheless, the fact that both the US and North Korea have indicated their willingness to continue negotiations is a relief for Seoul. It means that the diplomatic process continues.

Hanoi Summit Explained: The Key Players’ Views