폼페이오 방북시작, 북미 합의이행 분수령 - 봉영식 박사 대담

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is back in Pyongyang for his third visit in as many months. He is set to talk with North Korean officials to try and make some sort of progress on North Korea's denuclearization, as well as possibly bring back the remains of U.S. soldiers from the Korean War. To talk more about this, we have with us today, Dr. Bong Young-shik, from the Yonsei Institute for North Korean Studies. It's great to have you back with us.

My pleasure.

1 - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is now in Pyongyang. The schedule that was shared with the press says he arrived at midday, and had lunch with Kim Jong-un's right-hand man, Kim Yong-chol. He was the official that Pompeo negotiated with last time ahead of the North Korea-U.S. summit. Does that signal a good start?

2 - The North Korean propaganda website, Uriminzokkiri, has criticized the U.S. for including North Korea in the worst human trafficking offenders list in an annual state department report. Do you think this will come up in discussions with Pompeo?

3 - Before Pompeo left for Pyongyang he tweeted that he was looking forward to continuing work toward the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea. There's that phrase again, FFVD, which seems to have replaced CVID. How should we interpret this?

4 - Pompeo and the State Department have refused to publically set a timeline for North Korea's denuclearization. But during negotiations they must be discussing some sort of timeline. Do you think they will agree upon a timeline and reveal it?

5 - What do you think Pompeo is aiming for at these meetings? Do you think he will come back with some concrete plans?

6 - Pompeo took with him 6 reporters, unlike previous visits. He must have confidence that he will have something to show them. Could it be related to the return of the remains of the U.S. soldiers from the Korean War?

7 - In the June 12 joint agreement signed between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump, they agreed to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, but so far there has not been any movement on that. Do you think Pompeo will bring this up?

8 - If the U.S. demands denuclearization, then North Korea will likely also demand something in return. Perhaps one of the most pressing concerns for North Korea is the international sanctions. Do you think lifting of sanctions will be discussed?

9 - Last month Trump said he exchanged private phone numbers with Kim Jong-un, but so far there doesn't seem to have been any contact made since then. Do you think the two leaders will talk directly at some point, or for now is it something their officials need to hash out more?

Thank you for your time.