Diplomatic rapprochement between South and North Korea continues. The two countries have announced that their two leaders will hold a third summit sometime in September. Inter-Korean dialogue is important, but a widening gap between that diplomacy and talks over North Korea's denuclearization is worrisome and dangerous. One of Pyongyang's most important goals is splitting the coalition of governments that has imposed maximum pressure against the North; Seoul's defection would be a vital win for the North.
North Korea has three overarching diplomatic objectives: securing international recognition of its regime's legitimacy; engaging in negotiations over its nuclear weapons capability that would end with acknowledgment of its right to possess those weapons; and fracturing the international coalition that demands dismantlement of those weapons. It is well on its way to achieving all three.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's diplomatic charm offensive won him a meeting with a sitting U.S. president, an accomplishment that eluded both his father and grandfather. In exchange, he made vague promises about denuclearization and has stiff-armed subsequent U.S. demands for tangible, irreversible efforts toward that goal. Kim has restored frayed ties with China, a move that gives him an invaluable ally as he fends off international pressure to take those concrete steps. He has also established a relationship with South Korean President Moon Jae-in that has a momentum all its own. The inter-Korean dialogue seeks peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula — a worthy goal, but one that has very different meanings for Seoul, Pyongyang and other capitals.