Center for East Asia Policy Studies

[South Korean President Moon Jae In’s] idea was that you have these two wheels [of peace and denuclearization] connected by this axis and you’re just going to keep moving. There was always the fear that the peace wheel was going to move too fast and that denuclearization was not going to move … And I think that’s what’s happening.

North Korea has generally been reluctant to have more frequent, regularized [inter-Korean family reunions], preferring to use them for political leverage and to soften Pyongyang’s image. In this current scenario, I see the family reunions as a way that Kim is trying to show his good-faith effort to fulfill the pledges made with Moon during their first summit, keep the momentum going on improving inter-Korean ties, and also divert attention away from the nuclear issue. The family reunions demonstrate the real-life consequences of Korea’s division and it is unfortunate that politics get in the way of more frequent reunions, particularly given the advanced ages of the families waiting to be reunited. I hope that we can see more regular meetings—these are low hanging fruit for North Korea if the regime is serious about changing its tune. But I’m not going to hold my breath.