Continued pressure

World eying Kim Jongun's next move

A month has passed since the collapse of the Feb.27-28 summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jongun. While the two countries have shown signs that they are still up for more negotiations, there are few prospects for significant progress in the stalled denuclearization talks anytime soon.

This week, U.S. officials have been increasing pressure on North Korea. During a House Armed Service Committee hearing Wednesday, Gen. Robert Abrams, the commander of the U.S. Forces Korea underlined that North Korea is continuing with activities that are inconsistent with denuclearization. "I remain clear-eyed about the fact that despite a reduction in tensions along the demilitarized zone and a cessation of strategic provocations coupled with public statements of intent to denuclearize, little to no verifiable change has occurred in North Korea's capabilities," Abrams said.

Similar concerns have been echoed by President Trump's nominee for top U.S. diplomat for Asia during his confirmation hearing Wednesday. David Stilwell, the nominee for U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said the U.S. had been "fooled enough times" by North Korea and emphasized that the pressure on North Korea will continue. The retired Air Force brigadier said that there will be no pulling back on sanctions just because of North Korea's promise to denuclearize. "Releasing that pressure too soon will get us right back where we started," he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also voiced some skepticism about the progress of North Korea's denuclearization during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. The top U.S. diplomat said that he had not yet seen Pyongyang make the "big move" that the U.S. was "frankly hoping for," referring to the Hanoi summit which failed to produce any agreement between the two leaders.

Given the negative signs from North Korea since the collapse of the Hanoi summit, the concerns from the U.S. side are understandable. U.S. reports have shown that the North had begun to rebuild a missile site that it had started to dismantle last year. North Korean officials closely involved in the denuclearization talks, including Vice Foreign Minister Choe Sonhui, have openly criticized the U.S., saying that Washington had missed a golden opportunity and that North Korea had no intention of submitting to its demands, during a press conference in Pyongyang earlier this month. She also said that Kim will soon announce a message regarding negotiations with the U.S.

All eyes are on what kind of move Kim will make in the near future. He warned about taking a "new path" during his New Year speech if negotiations with the U.S. did not go well. He should not make a decision that will take the Korean Peninsula back to where it was before President Moon Jaein's peace initiative started. The U.S. and Korea should continue to work closely to prepare for Kim's next move.