![New South Korean President Vows to Address North Korea, Broader ...[Image source: Youtube Screen grab]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/7/22/660x290/b_502x220x82/new-south-korean-president-vows-to-address-north-korea-broader-usnewscom_1459535.jpg "New South Korean President Vows to Address North Korea, Broader ...[Image source: Youtube Screen grab]")
North Korea had completely snubbed South Korea's attempts to open diplomatic talks over possible reunification. This is after newly elected South Korean President Moon Jae-In publicly showed his desire for amicable communication with the North despite the high-tension crisis in the region.
What is the South's offer to the North?
The main agenda of the new South Korean President is the possibility of renewed diplomatic talks to end the crisis and to lay the foundation of the possible reunification of Korea. Earlier this week, South Korean Defense Ministry offered a bilateral meeting with the North to discuss the possible ending of the antagonism, which was termed "hostile acts," made between the two nations.
The proposed meeting, which was set on Friday didn't happen as North Korean counterparts never sent any official reply. The diplomatic attempts made by President Moon gained President Trump's support on his plan of conducting diplomatic talks with Pyongyang during the July 6th meeting of world leaders in Berlin, Germany.
However, every communication made by Moon's government were ignored by the North. Furthermore, the North painted President Moon as a "hypocrite" stating that the South Korean President is talking about improving relations with the North while still being hostile to North Korean policies.
What does North Korea want?
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un demands that for talks to begin, all U.S.
forces must leave the peninsula. He also required that if the talks do occur, his government must remain in power, despite a proposed reunification and that Pyongyang's military and nuclear programs will be allowed to stay in power. This list of demands are deemed unacceptable by the United States, making it difficult for President Moon to find support for his diplomatic talks for reunification.
As of the moment, the United States is strengthening of anti-missile capabilities in the region. It has also provided Japan and Taiwan with the necessary equipment to fend off missiles attacks from the North. However, one of the major hindrances for the U.S. to pressure Pyongyang is China. President Trump had voiced out his desire to conduct preemptive strikes against the North, but China continues to be its sole regional ally.
A preemptive strike may force China to respond against the U.S. and align countries sharing ideological sentiments against America to side with Beijing. The tension continues to grow in the North, and everyone is wary that a single miscalculation may trigger the Korean diplomatic powder keg and start an all out war.
