April 26, 2024
Opinion

The overwrought and exuberant: being realistic about inter-Korean talks

Seoul is not about to embrace Kim Jong Un, but it must be clearer about what it hopes to achieve

I have been surprised by the negativity of the North Korea watcher community toward Moon Jae In’s Nordpolitik. He is “naïve,” “walking into traps,” and generally being outplayed by Kim Jong Un’s propaganda skills.

These assessments are related to a perception that expectations in Seoul about the benefits of North-South contact are being exaggerated, even wildly so.

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