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By Yi Whan-woo
The 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games, which wrapped up their run Sunday, resulted in a dramatic, peaceful shift in security on the Korean Peninsula, according to analysts.
They said the sporting event changed the direction for cross-border diplomacy that had been witnessing heightening tension over North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear programs. As the host, South Korea made the most of the Olympics to create the mood for dialogue.
The reconciliatory events led from one to another: High-level talks on Jan 9. over the North participating in the Olympics (Feb. 9 to 25) to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong joining the Feb. 9 opening ceremony and President Moon Jae-in's special envoys visiting Pyongyang on March 5 to complete an agreement between Moon and Kim to hold a summit in April.
The series of events also led to a planned summit in May between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump, when Moon's envoys briefed Trump, March 9, the opening day of the Paralympics, about their North Korea trip.
The possible Kim-Trump summit prompted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to seek for Pyongyang-Tokyo talks after previously stressing sanctions over dialogue.
The talks among the shareholders of the peninsula, including China and Russia, are still underway, either bilaterally or multilaterally. And analysts say this best demonstrates the theme of the PyeongChang Olympics, "peace in motion."
"We had been uncertain about hosting the Olympics peacefully and successfully on this divided peninsula when North Korea kept on launching ballistic missiles last year, and look what we have now," said Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong Global University. "This Olympics indeed shows that it is not only a sports competition but also a diplomatic event that can promote world peace."
Paik Hak-soon, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute, agreed.
"It may be too early to pop the champagne and celebrate considering there are many days remaining before Kim's summit with Moon and Trump," he said. "But if the result turns out to be good, it will continue to give momentum for inter-Korean reconciliation and eventually denuclearization of the peninsula. This will help for the PyeongChang Olympics to be recorded as the most peaceful Olympics in history."
The experts speculated that South Koran diplomacy will be "at its busiest ever" in April and May.
In addition to talks with Kim, Moon may possibly meet Trump and also Abe as part of efforts to bolster three-way security cooperation with the U.S. and Japan.
During a phone call, Friday, Moon and Abe agreed on working-level discussion to schedule Moon's possible trip to Japan as well as their meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the earliest possible date.
On Monday, the two Koreas and the U.S. will meet in Finland for a "1.5-track" dialogue among active and retired officials and security experts for denuclearization and the North's summit with the South and the U.S.
Choe Kang-il, deputy director-general for North American affairs at the Foreign Ministry, will lead the North Korean side.
Former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Kathleen Stephens will represent her country while. Seoul will send security experts.
On the ministerial level, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan promised in Washington, D.C., Friday, to work together "to ensure that the inter-Korean summit in April and the U.S.-North Korea summit will become historic milestones for denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula."
Kang separately met with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono, Saturday, and agreed to strengthen close cooperation between South Korea and Japan, as well as with the U.S.
