It took nearly two years for the two Koreas to pick up their direct phone.
While South Korea is hoping the two sides can bury the hatchet and move toward a more
peaceful period,... but some say there may be more to the North's intentions than meets
the eye.
Kwon Jang-ho reports.
Direct communication between the two Koreas has now taken place for the first time in
23 months.
With the connection restored, it's almost certain that talks will be held over North
Korea's participation at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics.
But questions remain -- will Pyongyang make significant demands, and how far is Seoul
willing to go to meet them?
Experts warn against giving away too much too fast.
(English) "What North Korea promises is that it will
support successful and peaceful hosting of Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games, but North
Korea may demand far more than that... such as the resumption of the Kaesong Industrial
Complex or the further postponement of the joint military exercises between U.S. forces
and South Korea, and the Korean military.
Then you have to see whether it is worth to buy peace and stability which would last only
two months at that price."
Although the North's participation in the Olympics would be considered a breakthrough
for the Moon administration, there are more significant issues that Seoul and the international
community would want to be tackled,... the greatest concern being the dismantling of
the regime's nuclear program.
But while Seoul has expressed hopes of discussing such issues, most agree that expectations
shouldn't get too high.
(Korean - ) If you try to solve everything in one meeting,
you risk losing everything, so you need to do it stage-by-stage.
In other words, for this first meeting, they need to reach an agreement on participation
in Pyeongchang 2018.
Then I think, for now, on other inter-Korean issues, such as security concerns, it will
end with both sides presenting and listening to each others stances, and no more.
Meanwhile, former high-ranking North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho, who defected to South
Korea in 2016, has said that after watching Kim Jong-uns New Year's speech, he definitely
expects North Korea will participate in the games, meaning that Pyongyang will not likely
set the bar too high with its demands.
In an interview with Yonhap News on Wednesday, the former ambassador said it's part of a
plan for Pyongyang to try and disrupt the relationship between South Korea, the U.S.
and China... offering an olive branch to Seoul, a warning to Washington and a promise to cooperate
with Beijing.
Kwon Jang-ho, Arirang News.
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