![]() ![]() ![]() South Korea’s infrastructure proposal draws interest primarily from neighbouring countries since improving the area’s logistics to boost trade and secure energy supplies would also bring obvious benefits to the development and integration of Russia’s Far East and China’s north-eastern provinces. Meanwhile, several actors are ready to factor in some possible “ peace dividends” internationally and domestically. It follows that joint infrastructure projects are set to be on the table after any diplomatic breakthrough as they were during previous South Korean engagement efforts, which were driven by the modernization of connections to facilitate trade and contacts across the border. By sharing his blueprint for inter-Korean economic cooperation (it calls for the creation of three “belts”: one along the eastern coast and Russian border for energy and resources, another along the western coast for transportation and logistics, and a third across the land border for tourism) the South Korean president aimed at reaffirming Seoul’s commitment to supporting Pyongyang’s striving for economic growth, now that the regime has apparently shifted its emphasis from the byungjin first leg – after announcing the “completion” of it nuclear weapons – towards the economic track. In terms of confidence-building measures, the USB stick containing the “ New Economic Map of the Korean Peninsula” that Moon handed to Kim during that first meeting could be seen as such. Therefore, its comprehensive character can be considered one of the most innovative outcomes of the third inter-Korean summit if compared to the ones in 20. ![]() It groups in one single document a summary of the joint initiatives that came out from the June 15 and October 4 declarations. It is worth noting that in the April 27 Panmunjom Declaration the section regarding the creation of new channels to increase confidence between the two Koreas stands out from the list of ambitious goals for its action-oriented and practical tone. The unwillingness to opt for “economic carrots”, in particular, is seen as instrumental to Moon’s first stage of diplomatic outreach towards the North: the priority is to restore trust across the 38 th Parallel through cooperation and integration instead of economic concessions. Moon has been committed to sending clear signals to the North Koreans not only by sticking to a strong deterrence posture but even more importantly by not providing any economic inducements to Pyongyang to bring its leadership back to the table, except for humanitarian aid to North Korea’s malnourished children and pregnant women. The president’s popularity soars in the polls ( 85.7% in early May) and the reason might be partly found in his ability to avoid multiple past pitfalls when carefully navigating the engagement waters. So far, the public supports the Blue House’s current North Korean policy. Even though the two could easily talk directly via the hotline that was set up in April, the fact that Moon promptly made his way to the North Korean side of the border to meet again with Kim is a strong indication of his willingness to keep the flame of reconciliation alive regardless of the outcome of US-North Korea negotiations on denuclearization. Against this backdrop, Moon could not help but respond positively to Kim Jong-un’s outreach and within 24 hours the two Koreas arranged their fourth ever meeting. Having invested much political and reputational capital on reviving inter-Korean relations and brokering a deal between the US and North Korea, Trump’s abrupt May 24 cancellation of the Singapore summit caught President Moon off guard only days after returning home from his visit to the White House, where apparently he was given the green light for the talks to go ahead. South Korean President Moon Jae-in, however, stood above the diplomatic roller coaster as the sole actor who keeps working on infusing coherence and stability into this ride. Following weeks of ups and downs surrounding the prospects for the first meeting ever between a sitting US president and the North Korean leader, the two countries officials laid the groundwork for it by engaging in “ microwave diplomacy” as US journalist Barbara Demick called it.
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