Unification Minister Questions Denuclearization Goal, Risking Mixed Signals

▲ Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said at a forum on the 27th that "it is clearly no longer sustainable to pursue an approach that puts 'complete denuclearization' front and center, as in the past." The minister argued this while claiming that North Korea's nuclear capability has grown "100,000-fold" in the roughly 30 years since 1992. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, by contrast, said on the 25th that "South Korea and the United States remain committed to the goal of peace, stability and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula." Concern is already high that U.S. President Donald Trump could strike a direct deal with Pyongyang — trading sanctions relief for a freeze on its nuclear program — while bypassing Seoul. The worry is that the minister's remarks will send the wrong message to both Washington and Pyongyang.

▲ The Democratic Party of Korea appears to be slowing down its push for what is known as the special counsel bill on fabricated indictments, which would allow prosecutions to be withdrawn. Lee Ju-hee, the party's floor spokesperson, said on the 27th that "the specific timing and method have yet to be settled." Kwon Chil-seung, chair of the party's policy committee, chief spokesperson Park Sung-joon and Rep. Kim Young-jin, who is counted among allies of President Lee Jae-myung, also called for caution, citing a lack of public consensus. If President Lee wants his approval rating to rebound, the party should drop a bill that raises serious constitutional questions and focus instead on delivering results on livelihood issues.