From March to May, South Korean news editorials continued to focus on inter-Korean and US-Korean relations, albeit with a new player in the picture: China. On China, analysts assessed its trade relations with the United States and Kim’s two summits with Xi, which took place before and after the inter-Korean summit. On inter-Korean and US-Korean relations, analysts discussed the announcement of the Trump-Kim summit, the appointment of John Bolton as Trump’s new national security advisor, the Moon-Kim summit in Panmunjom, the release of three US detainees, and finally, the suspension of inter-Korean talks and the prospects of the June 12 Trump-Kim summit. Views on Kim’s intentions, Trump’s strategy, Xi’s role, and Moon’s recommended course of action varied significantly between the progressive and conservative outlets, demonstrating a wide and complex array of interests that must be balanced to forge long-term peace on the Korean Peninsula.  

Read full article at www.theasanforum.org.