For a more in-depth discussion on North Korea's Olympics participation and more,... we're
joined by Shin Sang-hyup, Professor of Pan-Pacific International Studies at Kyung Hee University.
Good to see you again professor Shin.
Q1 A large-scale military parade on the eve of
Winter Olympics hosted by South Korea.
Why after making efforts to show the world that it's a peace-loving country by participating
in the Olympics?
Q2 We are
short of information about the parade and we're unable to verify what types of military
hardware were showcased as of yet.
But could you tell us what kind of weaponry were likely presented?
And why?
Q3 We'll have to see how things unfold later
in the day, but it appears North Korea has scaled down the military
parade
a bit while also keeping it rather quiet unlike in the past.
Could this mean that Pyongyang is making concessions for
the Olympics?
Q4 President Moon Jae-in has said he will take
this opportunity to build up inter-Korean talks in the future and ultimately aim to
denuclearize North Korea.
But many point out that holding a military parade on the eve of Olympics gives off quite
the opposite signal to nuclear disarmament.
Your thoughts?
Q5> North Korea surprised many around the world
on Wednesday, announcing that its leader Kim Jong-un’s influential sister Kim Yo-jong
will make her way to South Korea for the Olympics.
As far as I know she’ll be the first member of the Kim family to ever visit South
Korea and so the significance speaks for itself.
Could you tell us more about who she is, and the implications of her visit?
Q6 Now to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's visit
to Tokyo.
From the statements made by Vice President Pence and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, we could
see that the two reiterated their hard-line North Korea policy.
But were they also trying to send a message to South Korea?
Q7 The U.S. is making it crystal clear that it
will not be fooled by North Korea’s Olympics charm offensive.
Washington has even invited the father of Otto Warmbier, a student who died in North
Korea, in an apparent move to remind the world of the grave human rights situation in the
North.
Do you think South Korean leader Moon Jae-in could successfully play the mediator?
Q8 Vice President Pence has arrived here in South
Korea today and he's scheduled to hold talks with President Moon Jae-in.
What kind of topics do you think will take center stage during their talks?
Q9 Do you
think there already is a gulf between Seoul and Washington as, according to some experts,
North
Korea
had intended?
Seoul is getting quite flexible with the sanctions
imposed on North Korea, and the United Nations is also reviewing whether it
can give an exemption to one
of the visiting North Korean delegation.