With the upcoming inter-Korean summit raising expectations for a diplomatic breakthrough on the Korean Peninsula, security scholars and diplomats here gathered Thursday to discuss the summit’s implications and prospects for the security climate at the Herald Security Forum 2018 organized by The Korea Herald.

Under the title of “Korean Peninsula at crossroads,” the panelists shared their views on how the summit would change the inter-Korean relations and whether it would lead to denuclearization of North Korea.

Professor Kim Byung-yeon, a renowned expert on the North Korean economy at Seoul National University, talked about the international sanctions on North Korea and their impact on the reclusive regime’s economy. 

 

Kim Won-soo, former undersecretary general at the United Nations and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, expressed his thoughts about North Korea’s motives behind the latest diplomatic overture and international response toward the move.

Kim Jae-chun, professor at Sogang University Graduate School of International Studies, discussed the prospect of the scheduled US-North Korea summit and its implication for the efforts to denuclearize Pyongyang.

Kim Hyun-wook, professor at the Department of American Studies, Korea National Diplomatic Academy, presented his thoughts on the diplomatic efforts in Northeast Asia aimed at denuclearizing North Korea.

Following the presentations by the four panelists, Choi Kang, vice president of Seoul-based think tank Asan Institute for Policy Studies, moderated the debates and fielded the questions from the participants.

Attending the events were European Union Ambassador Michael Reitere, Spanish Ambassador Gonzalo Ortiz, Turkish Ambassador Ersin Ercin, Bulgarian Ambassador Petar Andonov, Latvian Ambassador Peteris Vaivars and Colombian Ambassador Pablo Rodriguez Barragan, among others.

By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)