Korea summit: can Moon Jae-in revive nuclear talks?
South Korean president will travel to the north to meet with Kim Jong Un for first time in 11 years

The leaders of North and South Korea are meeting in Pyongyang for a crucial summit aimed at reviving stalled denuclearisation talks.
The three-day summit between Moon Jae-in and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un will be the third time the pair have met this year, and is the first visit to Pyongyang by a South Korean leader in 11 years.
Speaking ahead of his trip, President Moon vowed to push for “irreversible, permanent peace” and better dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington during the “heart-to-heart” talks.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Moon added that he hoped “to find a middle ground between a US request for denuclearisation and the North's request for corresponding measures such as ending hostile relations and security assurances”.
The South Korean leader is under intense pressure to restart negotiations and get Kim to do more to demonstrate to the US that he is serious about denuclearisation, the Financial Times says.
Kim, meanwhile, “will be seeking to pressure Seoul to increase economic co-operation with his impoverished state,” the newspaper says.
The thaw in relations began when the pair first met in April and Kim committed to “complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula,” paving the way for a landmark meeting with US President Donald Trump in June.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
But “as the flurry of diplomacy quieted down, there has been little progress in the US goal of North Korea relinquishing its nuclear arsenal,” says The Guardian.
Significant gaps in negotiations remain, and it is unclear how the current deadlock can be broken.
Washington has demanded North Korea unilaterally disarm before any sanctions relief is granted, while North Korean officials insist they have already made concessions by closing nuclear and rocket test sites, the newspaper reports.
However, “experts and satellite images suggest North Korea has continued to develop its nuclear program and there has been new construction at its only known nuclear plant,” the paper adds.
-
Mermaiding: the underwater subculture on the rise
Under the Radar Cosplay meets fitness in an escapist fin-omenon that's making waves around the world
-
Delhi's dogs earn Supreme Court reprieve
IN THE SPOTLIGHT After an outcry from the public and animal rights activists, India's Supreme Court walks back a controversial plan to round the city's stray dog population into shelters
-
8 hotels with ace tennis courts
The Week Recommends Bring your A game
-
What will security guarantees for Ukraine look like?
Today's Big Question From boots on the ground to economic sanctions, here are the measures that might stop Russia taking another bite out of Ukraine
-
Will Ukraine trade territory for peace?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Kyiv’s defences are wearing thin but a land swap is constitutionally impossible and crosses Zelenskyy's red lines
-
Russia tries Ukraine land grab before Trump summit
Speed Read The incursion may be part of Putin's efforts to boost his bargaining position
-
Europe counters Putin ahead of Trump summit
Speed Read President Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this week for Ukraine peace talks
-
Is Trump's new peacemaking model working in DR Congo?
Talking Point Truce brokered by the US president in June is holding, but foundations of a long-term peace have let to be laid
-
Who wins from a Trump-Putin meeting?
Today's Big Question Trump might get the leaders together for a photo op but brokering a peace deal won’t be easy
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
US and EU reach trade deal
Speed Read Trump's meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen resulted in a tariff agreement that will avert a transatlantic trade war