The current state of inter-Korean relations is dire, with North Korea announcing it no longer seeks reunification with the South and recent general elections in the ROK highlighting public disinterest in DPRK issues altogether. 

Negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea about Pyongyang’s nuclear program have also been at a standstill since the failed summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in Hanoi in 2019. 

As Seoul, Washington and Pyongyang remain firm in their stances, the only hope for a revival of diplomacy may have to come from another party — China.

Beijing has played a crucial role