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| Stephen Biegun, the top U.S. envoy on North Korea, is expected to meet his North Korean counterpart Kim Hyok-chol next week for preparatory talks on a second planned summit between their leaders late February. Yonhap |
North Korea and the United States are expected to fine-tune details for the former's denuclearization and the latter's corresponding measures, when their working-level officials meet next week in preparation for a planned summit between their leaders.
The scheduled second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. Donald Trump in late February faces the challenge of not repeating the vague commitments produced during the first summit in Singapore, last June 12.
Analysts said Friday that Stephen Biegun, the top U.S. envoy on North Korea, may ask for international inspections of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site and Tongchang-ri missile test site when he meets his North Korean counterpart, Kim Hyok-chol.
Biegun may also ask the North to scrap its nuclear scientific research center in Yongbyon.
In return, the U.S may offer to set up a liaison office in the North, allow more humanitarian aid for the impoverished Pyongyang regime and suspend two combined military exercises with South Korea in spring ― Foal Eagle and Key Resolve.
"The purpose of the second Kim-Trump summit will be to visualize the very first agreement reached between the two on June 12," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.
Yang said establishing a liaison office will be in line with the Trump-Kim commitment outlined in their joint statement to "establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity."
He added, "The liaison office will certainly be a symbol for reconciliatory efforts. And its opening could be possible, under the condition that Pyongyang allows inspectors to look into the Punggye-ri nuclear test site and Tongchang-ri missile test site."
The North blew up the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in May 2019 in the presence of international journalists. But some international nuclear experts still question whether it has been rendered unusable and say they need to inspect the site.
In his September 2018 summit with President Moon Jae-in, Kim promised to shut down the Tongchang-ri missile test site "in the presence of experts from relevant nations."
He expressed a readiness to shut down the Yongbyon nuclear facility ― where North Korea is believed to have produced the materials used in its nuclear tests ― if the U.S. takes some reciprocal action.
"The U.S. will want to see that Kim is committed to denuclearization and his promises with Moon were not just something pleasing to the ear," said Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong Global University.
Park said the U.S. expanding humanitarian aid for the North and suspending this year's Foal Eagle and Key Resolve will be critical to hammering out details for denuclearization.
Foal Eagle is the largest exercise currently undertaken by U.S. and South Korea, and Key Resolve is a computerized command post exercise.
Pyongyang has denounced the two drills repeatedly as a "rehearsal for invasion" of its regime.
Meanwhile, a security expert speculated the North may not accept international inspections at Tongchang-ri and Yongbyon.
"Pyongyang may allow the presence of international inspectors, but only have them to see blowing the nuclear and missile sites with their naked eyes and nothing more," said Kim Hyun-wook, a professor at Korea National Diplomatic Academy.
The experts said lifting sanctions will not be possible even after the second Kim-Trump summit.
