>>> Our top story, at the end of this week the leaders of North and South Korea will meet for a summit, the first time leaders from the feet -- 2 countries still technically at war will have met for at least a decade. Kim Jong-un has announced a end to its nuclear and intercontinental missile test. The White House is prepared for a unprecedented meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong-un coming up in May or June. What is behind this burst of diplomacy when just months ago North Korea was poised to launch nuclear missiles? One of the opportunity presented by the summit, what are the risks? Director of the Korea specific program at UC San Diego school of global policy and strategy. Welcome to the program staff and. >> Taking for having me. >> The summit between North Korea and South Korea, it has been preceded by months of diplomacy between the 2 countries. How big of a deal is this? >> Big. That is the one where description, no question. Obviously, this has never happened except on the 2 previous occasions in 2000 and 2007. There were a summit, so this is rare. And sets the stage for what is going to happen between Kim Jong-un and President Trump as well. >> There has not been as much to the policy between North Korea and U.S. before the announcement of the summit, do you see that is a problem? >> There is more going on behind the scenes that is visible, first Mike as head of the CIA was already tasked at holding the high-level discussions. Prior to that, American diplomats had actually been conducting diplomacy in a quiet way, meetings with the North Koreans over the years, there has been contact. But, to prepare for a summit of this sort we are operating on short notice which is concerned. >> How much weight you give North Korea's announcement it is suspending all of its missile testing? >> Not much frankly. The last nuclear test was in September of last year. The last in continental ballistic missile test was in November. So in fact, the North Korea had suspended those tests for some time in connection with the Olympics. I am not sure that it is that significant they have announced that. It is typical for the North Koreans to put a pause on provocation when they are engaged in negotiation. >> What do you think that Kim Jong-un is doing to seem so willing to enter the talks? >> My theory is he's being adversely affected by the sanctions. One of the things that came out of the summit between President Trump and she last year was to get more robust cooperation through the U.S. Security Council and sanctions. Much to everyone's surprise China has done a pretty good job at enforcing sanctions which are dependent on China, because North Korean is in turn dependent on them. China in 90% of their trade. Attack the Chinese have stepped up plays a crucial role -- the fact that the Chinese have stepped up his crucial. >> We have a summit coming up between North Korea and the U.S., what progress can realistically take place without China having a seat at the negotiating table? >> China has been very supportive of negotiation, I do not think that China's omission from this round of summit is significant. They are going to come back in as a player if and when we transit to either for party talks around the placement of the armistice or six party talks on denuclearization. In general China has been in the mix, obviously there is the summit. It was a big surprise, they are definitely a player. >> What is the risk of a summit like this for the U.S.? >> The main risk is feel-good statements that ultimately do not go anywhere. That is true of the North and South summit. There will be some declaration of a intention to end the armistice. There will probably be some statement to denuclearize the Korean peninsula, the details take a long time to iron out. Think of the Iran deal, three years of negotiation. It was a inch and a half thick. We are not going to get significant progress at the summit. What we are going to see is the intentions of the leadership. >> Is in a sense a win for him to be in the weight -- the same room as the president? >> That is a concern but I do not share it. U.S. diplomacy in respect to North Korea has been a rot under President Obama. To the party talks broke down in 2008, no steps of progress since then. At some point you have to negotiate with the North Koreans. The order is inverted, typically a summit would be preceded by quite extensive pharmacy at lower levels to iron out some deliverables. That is a concern. I do not think the North Koreans are going to magically wake up and give up their nuclear weapons. This is going to have to be a negotiated process. Since Kim Jong-un is so powerful, what he chooses to do, the types of decisions he can make on the spot are really crucial for making progress. >> You have 2 rather unique personalities meeting in this summit. From what you know about Kim Jong-un and his personality, how do you imagine the negotiations between him and President Trump would go? >> I will be honest I have no idea. This is a completely new terrain. The one thing that we do know about a leader like Kim Jong-un is he has tremendous discretion. He can really make decisions on the spot. I do not think that anyone should be fooled, he is coming into these negotiations seeking to prolong the life of his nuclear program. Secure some type of sanction relief. He would not be coming on as he would get something in return. He is not going to make it easy on President John. He is going to put offers that would involve small steps in return for the United States scaling back military exercises for example. Those types of things that would make it difficult for the president. >> I had a meeting with Stefan Haggard, director of the Korea specific program at UC San Diego school of global policy and strategy. Thank you >> my pleasure.
South Korea halted anti-North Korea propaganda broadcasts across their tense border on Monday as officials from the two Koreas met again to work out details of their leaders' upcoming talks, expected to focus on the North's nuclear program.
Seoul had been blasting propaganda messages and K-pop songs from border loudspeakers since the North's fourth nuclear test in early 2016. The North quickly matched the South's action with its own border broadcasts and launches of balloons carrying anti-South Korea leaflets across the border.
South Korea turned off its broadcasts on Monday to ease military tensions and establish an environment for peaceful talks, Seoul's Defense Ministry said in a statement. It said Seoul hopes the decision will lead to both sides stopping slander and propaganda activities.
Yonhap news agency, citing an unidentified government source, said that North Korea was believed to have turned off many of its propaganda broadcasts later Monday. Yonhap earlier reported that some North Korean broadcasts were sporadically heard in the South on Monday morning. South Korean defense officials said they couldn't immediately confirm the status of the North's broadcasts.
The move comes amid a recent thaw in animosities, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un trying to reach out to Seoul and Washington after conducting his country's sixth and most powerful nuclear test and three long-range missile test launches last year.
Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in are to meet at the Korean border village of Panmunjom on Friday in the countries' third-ever summit talks. Kim is to hold separate talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in May or early June in what would be the first North Korea-U.S. summit.
On Monday, the two Koreas held a third round of working-level talks at Panmunjom and agreed to conduct a joint rehearsal Wednesday of the summit, Moon's office said in a statement. It said the two sides agreed that Friday's summit will include a welcoming ceremony and a banquet dinner as well as a formal meeting between Moon and Kim.
The Koreas agreed last week to allow live television broadcasts for key parts of the summit. Monday's statement said North Korea also agreed on live broadcasts by South Korean media of unspecified events at the northern side of Panmunjom.
The Korean summit is to take place at a South Korean building on the southern side of Panmunjom. This means that Kim must cross the border into South Korea in what would be the first such act by a North Korean leader since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.
Kim has said he is willing to place his nuclear program up for negotiation. But it is unclear what disarmament steps he will offer during the two sets of summit talks. U.S. officials have said they want to the North to complete full nuclear disarmament.
North Korea said Saturday it will close its nuclear testing facility and suspend nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests. But it stopped short of suggesting it will give up its nuclear weapons or scale back its production of missiles and their related components.
Trump nonetheless tweeted Sunday that the North has "agreed to denuclearization (so great for World), site closure, & no more testing!"
Trump's pick to be the next secretary of state, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, traveled to North Korea on Easter weekend to lay the groundwork for the summit meeting. Pompeo's trip was a clear indication that preparations for the North-U.S. summit are under way, though many U.S. and other foreign experts have had doubts.
