North Korea

By Kim Bo-eun

It appeared Tuesday that the much-hyped high-level denuclearization talks between North Korea and the U.S. may face a further delay.

There had been speculation that the meeting, scheduled to take place Nov. 8 but later postponed upon Pyongyang's request, would take place within this month.

A foreign ministry official said, "The meeting will likely not take place this month, but it appears both sides are willing to engage in dialogue, so they will seek to meet soon."

As U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will accompany President Donald Trump to the G20 summit in Buenos Aires this week, it appears unlikely that the high-level talks led by him will be able to take place before then.

Recent moves to scale down joint military exercises between South Korea and the U.S. next year, and a certain sanctions exemption to allow an inter-Korean inspection of railway tracks in the North are seen to have created a mood for dialogue.

The delay in the meeting has also been attributed to logistical issues.

Yet Shin Beom-chul, a senior fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said these were not the determining factors in holding the high-level meeting.

North Korea delaying the meeting is likely a tactic to "gain the upper hand in negotiations," he said.

"It looks like Pyongyang is waiting to see how much Washington is willing to concede."

Professor Park Won-gon at Handong Global University said it looked as if Pyongyang was weighing its options.

"It is known to have hinted at disclosing another key nuclear facility besides Punggye-ri during U.S. Secretary Mike Pompeo's fourth visit to Pyongyang," Park said, adding this was unlikely to be Yongbyon.

"North Korea appears to be considering a new card it can present that the U.S. is likely to accept."

He said while it would be difficult for the two countries to lay out a comprehensive denuclearization roadmap at the high-level meeting, Pyongyang would at least have to make pledges about key facilities.

Meanwhile, attention is growing over whether talks on the sidelines of the G20 meeting could enable progress ― President Donald Trump will meet with Chinese and Russian leaders Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. Washington has been pushing Beijing and Moscow to maintain strict sanctions regimes against Pyongyang. It is to be seen whether Trump will seek a different approach with them this time.

Also drawing attention is whether Trump and Moon will meet.

Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said "the current circumstances call for South Korea to play a crucial mediating role."

Analysts view that a delay in the high-level meeting would likely lead to a delay in holding a second summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, that Washington said could take place early next year.

The North Korean leader's visit to Seoul is also likely to be postponed. Cheong Wa Dae had sought for the visit to take place within this year, but implied for the first time Monday that this may not take place as planned.

"This is because the North Korean leader would have nothing to take from a meeting with Moon at this point in time," Shin said.