The on-again, off-again meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been an emotional roller coaster for South Koreans, who now await Tuesday’s historic summit with both hope and doubt.
The hope is that improved relations between Washington and Pyongyang will ease tensions and dispel the threat of war, which has hung over the region for more than a half-century.
But having seen North Korea go back on its word in the past, such as when it broke a previous nuclear pact in 2002, South Koreans remain cautious about the sudden breeze of peace blowing across their divided peninsula.
“North Korea’s willingness for talks seems clear now. The problem is that we are not so sure what they ultimately want,” said graduate student Kim Jae-hak.
For him, the ideal outcome would be a formal declaration to the end the Korean War, followed by the complete denuclearization of North Korea. He warned, however, that high expectations can bring great disappointment, so Koreans should watch how things unfold.
South Korea’s government has been careful to avoid rash comments or hasty interpretations of the seesaw developments in the lead-up to the summit in Singapore. Still, South Korean President Moon Jae-in has made negotiations with North Korea a centerpiece of his administration and has a lot riding on next week’s events.
Moon took office in May 2017 with a pledge to seek improved relations and ultimately peace with North Korea. In April, he met the North’s leader, Kim Jong Un, for talks at the Demilitarized Zone dividing their countries and the two set…
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