Easing Sanctions

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could be invited to the South Korea-ASEAN Summit slated for next year in Korea. Meanwhile, the South Korean and Russian leaders have recently discussed ways to ease sanctions against Pyongyang.

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South Korea has been chosen as the host-country of the next Korea-ASEAN Summit. The leaders of ten ASEAN countries have accepted President Moon Jae-in's offer to host the event.

[Soundbite] Pres. Moon Jae-in : "We invite ASEAN leaders to the Republic of Korea. We will hold the 2019 Korea-ASEAN Summit and the first Korea-Mekong Summit."

Indonesian President Joko Widodo made a surprise offer to invite North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the upcoming summit. President Moon responded by promising to consider the offer. If Kim Jong-un is invited to the summit, it will be his first participation in a multilateral diplomatic event. It will also be an opportunity for North Korea to gain recognition as a normalized country and become a part of the international community. Meanwhile, the leaders of South Korea and Russia have discussed in-depth conditions for easing sanctions against North Korea in reciprocation to its complete denuclearization. President Moon urged Russia to play a more proactive role in getting Pyongyang to take bolder denuclearization steps. President Vladimir Putin reportedly responded by saying that efforts are needed to achieve progress in the current situation.