Moon North Korea policy

What is the Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA), why has it been scrapped, and what are the implications? 

The law was crafted by the previous liberal government in Seoul, which desperately pushed for inter-Korean engagement.

The Yoon administration has opened investigations into two controversial incidents at the border with North Korea under former President Moon Jae-in’s watch.

Two previous National Intelligence Service directors were charged with improperly handling investigations into separate incidents in 2019 and 2020.

Both leaders believed that economics and energy concerns locked their countries into a path of appeasing threatening neighbors.

Conservatives – including President-elect Yoon – argue that the initiative damaged the South Korea-U.S. alliance. But would South Korea really have been better off without President Moon’s peace process?

Less than three weeks before Moon Jae-in leaves office, the leaders of the two Koreas exchanged hand-written letters talking up the efforts of the peace process.

A recent survey finds a majority of Koreans approve of the idea -- even among supporters of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol.

The three countries emphasized the importance of the alliance to cope with North Korea’s missile tests while urging Pyongyang to renew dialogue.

In an interview with news agencies of OANA, South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed his hope for the U.S. and North Korea to renew talks.

South Koreans increasingly reject reunification with the North amid intensifying hostility and indifference. But inter-Korean relations that prioritize economic ties over reconciliation easily fall prey to global geopolitics.

North Korea is not testing missiles in a bid to entice the U.S. into talks. Pyongyang is honing its missile arsenal as a goal in and of itself.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the U.S., China, and North Korea have agreed to officially end the Korean War “in principle,” but can he initiate the proposal?

Several countries will be impacted by an end-of-war declaration, and the extent of the impact is poorly understood – but likely to be quite limited.

U.S. President Joe Biden has opened the possibility of a diplomatic boycott for the Beijing Winter Olympics, potentially killing the final hope the Moon administration had to see productive results.

South Korea and the U.S. have shown different views on the timing and sequence of an end-of-war declaration, but Seoul implies that significant progress has been made.

South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in reaffirmed allies’ cooperation on the North Korea issue on the sidelines of the G-20 and U.N. climate summits.

Major interconnected shifts are underway on the Korean Peninsula, from a looming end-of-war declaration to South Korea’s involvement in the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for an end-of-war declaration in his U.N. address, but the other countries involved have different goals. 

Kim Yo Jong welcomed Moon’s outreach in his U.N. speech, but made clear that Seoul will have to end its “hostile policies” first.

Moon wants to lead cooperation among neighboring countries to tackle Korean Peninsula issues, but there is little interest from the other parties.

The Diplomat’s Mitch Shin interviews Dr. Kim Joon-hyung, chancellor of Korea National Diplomatic Academy, on the Korean peace process.

President Moon’s Korea Peace Initiative has faced mixed results and daunting challenges, but there are no better options.

With only eight months left in President Moon’s term, the two Koreas surprisingly agreed to restore channels and improve ties.