After the Olympics: North-South Relations on the Korean Peninsula
March 8, 2018
11:00am to 12:00pm

Teleconference

Read a summary of this teleconference here.

A teleconference on relations between North and South Korea following the 2018 Winter Olympics.

With North and South Korea marching under a shared flag in the opening ceremony and competing on a joint team in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, analysts debated whether this represented actual progress in diplomatic dialogue on the Korean Peninsula, or whether it was just for show on the part of the North Koreans. Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong went on a charm offensive in South Korea, though she didn't win over U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who sat a few feet away but did not engage with her. A secret meeting between Pence and North Korean officials was scheduled to take place but was canceled at the last minute by the North Koreans, according to Pence's office. While some western observers speculated that North Korea was attempting to drive a wedge between South Korea and the United States, Defense Secretary James Mattis refuted that notion. Meanwhile, North Korea continues to develop its nuclear weapons program.

Did the Olympics help repair relations between the two Koreas? What's next for diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula?

Listen to the full conversation below:

Featuring:

Ms. Shihoko Goto, Senior Associate for Northeast Asia, Asia Program, Wilson Center

Shihoko Goto is the senior Northeast Asia associate at the Woodrow Wilson Center's Asia Program, where she is responsible for research, programming, and publications on Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Read more.

Mr. Christopher Green, Senior Advisor, Korean Peninsula, International Crisis Group

Christopher Green is a senior advisor on the Korean Peninsula at the International Crisis Group. Read more.

Moderator:

Ms. Gloria Koo, Associate Director, Korean Studies Institute, University of Southern California

Gloria Koo is the associate director of USC's Korean Studies Institute. Read more.

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