Tuesday’s dialogue may decide future of inter-Korean relations

South and North Korea will have their first official dialogue in more than two years on Tuesday, which has been expedited with the support of both leaders as well as U.S. President Donald Trump. All the attention is now on whether this new momentum will continue beyond the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

North Korea has named its delegation for the high-level meeting on Sunday, a day after the South proposed sending a five-member delegation. The North Korean delegation will also comprise five members and will be led by Ri Son Gwon, chairman of North Korea’s Committee for Peaceful Reunification.

Tuesday’s inter-Korean dialogue is, in effect, no different from a meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un since it has been made possible due to President Moon’s prompt response to Kim’s New Year speech by announcing a welcoming message and deciding to postpone the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises. The dialogue will also be reported to the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae and the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang in real-time.

South Korea says that it will primarily focus on discussing the North’s participation in the upcoming Winter Olympics in the South. Yet, it is possible that both sides can reach an agreement in principle regarding the restoration of the inter-Korean relations in a broader sense. Some say that the two Koreas may also have an opportunity to improve the ties during the Olympics, depending on who would head the North’s high-level delegation to Pyeongchang.

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