The delegation, the highest-ranking to visit the South, concludes its visit later on Sunday having charmed and intrigued the South Korean public, but still faces deep scepticism over the North’s sincerity towards improving relations. Any summit between the two still-officially warring Koreas would be a coup for Moon, who has been pushing for a diplomatic solution to the standoff over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes. US Vice President Mike Pence, who has left South Korea for Washington, said the United States, South Korea, and Japan were in complete agreement on isolating North Korea over its nuclear weapons programme. However, South Korea’s main opposition party warned any talks between the two Koreas where the scrapping of North Korea’s nuclear programme was not a precondition would only “benefit the enemy”. “What cannot be overlooked is that Moon did not directly demand North Korea to abandon its nuclear development … Moon should be aware that he has to urge denuclearisation to North Korea by himself, not depending on dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea,” an editorial in the Yomiuri Newspaper read.

Source: Pakistan Today February 11, 2018 06:12 UTC