트럼프 대통령, 탈북동포 8명, Oval Office에 초청 25분간 간담회."올림픽후에 일어날일 누가 알겠나?"한마디.

트럼프 대통령이 탈북자 8명과 그의 집무실인, 백악관내 Oval Office에서 그들의 탈북시의 고생과 그용기를 Encouragement시켜주고, 일일히 탈북민들의 지옥같았던 북에서의 삶과 탈북과정에 대해, 허심탄회하게 대통령에게 얘기해줬고, Trump 대통령은 그들의 얘기를 경청하고,
일일히 답변해주는 진정어린 성의를 보여주는 장면은, 문재인 정권의 Red Line을 넘는 북한과의 화해정책을 가슴조리면서 보고있는 대한민국 국민들과 서방세계인들에게 안도의 숨을 내쉬게 해주는 든든한 대화의 장면이었음을 확신했다.

한 탈북여성은, 그녀가 19세대 강제 결혼을 시킬려고 해서, 어렵게 중국으로 탈북하였는데, 중국당국은 나를 매춘부로 팔려고 했었던 그순간을 탈피하여 이곳에 있게 됐다고 하면서, 트럼프 대통령에게, 중국당국이 제발 탈북자들을 다시 북한으로 되돌려 보내지 못하도록 중재해 주십시요. 이북도착하자마자 바로 죽임을 당거나 중노동수용소행이다라고 간청하는 모습에서, 문재인 정권 사람들도 분명이 이대담내용을 보고 있을것으로 확신되었는데, 과연 그들은 이여인을 진정한 대한민국출신으로 인정하고 있을까?라는 의문이 들었다. 문통의 눈높이에서는, 이탈북 여인은 커다란 걸림돌이 됐을 것이다.

벌레소년들의 동영상을 여기에 삽입한다.

https://youtu.be/mDKlbhnBr54

대담은 거의 25분 진행됐는데, 분초를 쪼개가면서 국사를 관장하는 대통령이 이렇게 긴시간을 할애 했다는것은 그만큼 북한문제가 미국을 비롯한 전세계에 골치거리이자, 자유를 사랑하는 사람들에게 커다란 위협이 돼고 있기에 그냥 좌시할수만은 없다는 Warning sign이 그속이 깊이 내재되여 있음을 느꼈었다.

아래 링크를 클릭하면, 해당 동영상을 볼수 있다.

https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/02/02/north-korea-defectors-white-house-todd-dnt-tsr.cnn

http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2018/02/03/2018020300282.html

북한의 핵폭탄밑에서 벌어지는 동계올림픽의 순조로운 진행은 보호될수있고 방어 가능할가?

이제 평창올림픽은 불과 7일앞으로 다가왔다. 지난 8년간 대한민국은 원만한 동계올림픽 진행을 위해 나라 전체가 올인하다시피 준비해왔고, 시설이나 Accommodation를 비롯한 교통문제를 포함하여, Hardware쪽은 거의 완벽에 가깝도록 잘해왔다고 볼수 있겠다.

문제는 이렇게 준비하고, 평창을 찾아올 선수들과 관광객들의 안전을 위한 Security에서도 철저한 준비를 했다고는 하나, "속담에 도둑한명을 순경 10명이 지켜내지 못한다"라는 옛말이 실감나게, 지금 전 대한민국의 치안 경찰은 물론, 일부 군대마져 동원하여 예상치 않은 불청객들의 게임 interruption과 인명살상계획들을 차단하기위해 전전긍긍하고 있는 모습을 뉴스를 통해 보면서, 마음이 조려서 눈과 귀는 TV와 카톡에 맞추어져 있는 내자신을 보면서, 국가적 대행사가 잘 마무리되기를 염원하는 마음은,나만이 느끼는 안절부절함이 아닐것임을 나는 깊이 느낀다.  

이번 평창경기에는 92개국 선수들이 참가하며, 3,000 여명의 선수들과 약 100,000명의 관람객들이 매일 몰려 들것으로 예상하고 있다. 이들의 안전을 지키기위해, 군병력 5 만여명과 경찰 병력 포함하여 약 6만명이 넘는 보안요원들이 철통경비를 한다고 한다. 숫자상으로는 이렇게 대규모 보안요원들이 동원된 기록이 없었다고 할 정도다.

세계적으로 악명을 떨치고 있는 ISIS를 포함한 테러분자들도 문제지만, 세계의 정치적 지도자들이나 IOC 경기관련자들이 깊이 걱정하고 있는 또다른 큰문제는, 바로 불법으로 핵무기와 탄도미사일을 개발 했다고 전세계를 위협하고 있는 북한 김정은 집단에게 초점이 마추어지고 있다는 점이다.  이렇게 힘들여 유치한 동계 올림픽에, 사상 최저로 각국의 정상들 참석율이 떨어지고있다는 슬픈 뉴스다. 특히 강대국들의 정상들 참석은 전무라고한다. 그만큼 보안도 문제지만 북한을 사이에 두고 강대국들의 주판알 굴리기식 계산결과인것으로 보고있다.

한국의 현정부는 이러한 세계여론은 완전히 무시하고, 나름데로 김정은 집단과 협상하여, 그들이 동계올림픽에 참여 하도록 하기위해 손으로 셀수없을 만큼, 당근을 너무나 많이 그들에게 주고 있다는게 더 많은 걱정을 국민들과 자유를 사람하는 서방세계 시민들을 불안에 몰아넣고 있다는 점이다.

휴전선을 맞대고 북한과 한국의 병력이 서로 대치하고 있는 숫자는 거의 2백만명이라고 한다. 지구상 어느곳에도 이렇게 수많은 젊은 병사들이 총구를, 그것도 같은 동족끼리, 맞대고 경계를 펼치고 있는곳은 없다.  이렇게 철천지 원수집단에게 현한국정부는 휴전선을 완전개방하여 그들이 평창올림픽을 핑계로 마음데로 들락날락할수있게 날개를 달아주었다는 점이다.

북한 김정은 집단은 남한에서 국제적 경기가 개최될때마다, 지금까지의 행적을 정리해 보면, 꼭 사고를 쳐서, 한국에서 국제경기가 순조롭게 진행되는것을 방해하고, 참가선수들을 물론이고, 몰려드는 수많은 관광객들의 발길을 다른곳으로 돌려, 결과적으로 경기를 망치게 할려는 흉계를 계속 저질러 왔었다는 점을 전세계는 주시하고 있다.

그중에서 한국에서 벌어지는 큰 국제경기를 Disruption 시킬 목적으로, 육해공 모든면에서 불시에 공격을 감행하여 아까운 생명을 앗아간 내용들을 간추려 옮겨놓았다.

1988 하계 올림픽이 서울에서 개최권들을 획득하여, 한국으로서는 처음으로 치르는 커다란 국제행사여서, 온나라가 성공적인 경기진행을 위해 매진하고 있을때, 이보다 약 10개월 앞서, 북한은 중동열사의 나라에서 공사를 마치고 귀국하는 한국의 건설회사 직원 104명과 기내 써비스요원 11명이 탄 대한항공여객기를  인도양 상공에서 폭파시켜 세계를 불안속으로 몰아 넣었 었다.  이계획에 가담했던 폭파범의 진술에 따르면, 북한은 당시 남한에서 하계 올림픽경기의 성공적인 경기진행을 파탄내기위해 계획된 참극이었었다라고 고백했었다.(detonated a bomb on a South Korean airliner)

또 2002년도에 한국과 일본에서 월드컵 축구경기 공동 주최국이 돼여 진행되고 있을때, 서해상에서 북한 해군은 남한 해군에 포격을 가해 해군병사 6명이 수장되는 침략을 불시에 감행하였었다. 이침략행위가 있기 몇시간전에 한국팀은 3위 결정전을 치르고 있었다.

공교롭게도 위에 열거한 국제적 게임이 진행되고 있을때, 북한은 참석하지 않았다는점이 특이하다.  그러나 2002년도와 2014년도에 열렸던  부산과 인천 아시안게임시에는 북한이 참가하여 경기진행에 어려움을 겪지는 않았었다.

이러한 전례가 있기 때문에 이번에도 남한 정부는 북한에 참가요청하는 신호를 보내고, 협상에 임하면서, 적은 숫자의 선수가 참가하게되고, 임원과 응원단은 거의 400여명이 넘게 내려 온다는 것이다. 물론 이들의 체제 경비는 한국측 부담이다.  어찌 보면 다른나라 선수단과의 대우면에서 형평에 어긋나는 짖이지만,  경제적 부담을 안고서라도 무사히 경기를 마치기를 염원하는 현정부측의 골육지책인것으로 이해 하지만.....사전 북한답사팀이 왔을때, 남한정부는 그들에게 국가정상이 방문했을때의 의전행사이상으로 환대하고, 비유마추기에 급급했었다.

이것역시 영구적인 평화무드로 갈 확률은 거의 Zero에 가깝다고 전문가들은 보고 있고, 전운이 감돌고 있는 한반도에 어쩌면 게임이 끝나기도전에 군사적 충돌이 있을지도 모른다는 분석이다.  그러나 한가지 명심해야할점은, 몸속의 종기를 뿌리뽑기위해서는 일회용 반창고로는 안되고, 칼로 살을 도려내는 아픔을 참아내야하는 인내가 필요함을 인식할 필요가 있다는것을 한국정부와 좌파 정치인들에게 경종한다.

그외에도 북한은 남한의 여객기를 납치하여 북한땅에 강제 착륙시키고, 스튜어디스들은 당시의 북한 고위층에 억지 시집가서 후에 가족을 꾸렸다는 뉴스가 있었고,  그즈음에는 동해상에서 경계를 서고 있던 미해군 Pueblo호를 납치하여 후에 선장과 수병들은 되돌려 보냈지만, 배는 아직까지도 북한의 어느 항구에 Propaganda용으로 전시되여 있다는 소식이다.

어쨋던 전세계인들의 동계 올림픽 잔치가 무사히 끝나기만을, 같은 피를 나눈 동족의 한사람으로서, 염원한다.  

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — Security is a top concern at every Olympics, where athletes and fans in scattered venues can be difficult to protect. But rarely do they take place in the shadow of a nuclear standoff, as is the case with the Winter Games that open next week here in South Korea.

Nearly 3,000 athletes from 92 nations and 100,000 spectators per day are expected to converge on the area around Pyeongchang, 50 miles from the North Korean border, for what organizers say will be the largest-ever Winter Games. The South has mobilized tens of thousands of security personnel — including 50,000 soldiers — in what may be the most militarized security force in Olympic history.

A last-minute diplomatic breakthrough in which North Korea agreed to participate in the Games has pushed fears of worst-case scenarios into the background, at least for now. But the North remains the most unpredictable factor in security arrangements, because it has a history of engaging in violence when South Korea hosts international sports events.

The arrival on Thursday of a delegation of North Korean athletes — part of a larger contingent of around 500 athletes, officials and performers — raises a separate set of security challenges, including protecting them from attacks by extremists in South Korea.

Organizers have long feared that the North might test a missile or nuclear weapon during the Games, perhaps even provoking a chain reaction of escalations leading to war. Such worries have subsided since the January deal, in which the two Koreas agreed to march under one flag in the opening ceremony.

In November 1987, 10 months before Seoul hosted the 1988 Summer Games, North Korean agents detonated a bomb on a South Korean airliner, killing all 104 passengers and 11 crew members. The goal, one of the agents later told investigators, was to frighten international athletes and visitors out of attending the Games.

When South Korea co-hosted the soccer World Cup in 2002, a naval clash with North Korea in disputed waters killed six South Korean sailors just hours before the South played in the third-place match.

But the North did not take part in those sporting events. When North Korea has participated in events hosted by the South — the 2002 Asian Games in Busan and the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, for example — there have been no major disruptions.

That is why South Korean officials and analysts argue that the risk of a military provocation during these Olympics — nuclear or otherwise — has been significantly reduced.

Still, South Korea plans to field up to 60,000 security personnel on each day of the Games, including the 50,000 soldiers — more than twice the number of military personnel deployed during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

“The possibility of a missile or nuclear test is extremely low,” said Shin Beom-chul, an expert on North Korea at the government-run Korea National Diplomatic Academy in Seoul. “The North may use the Games as a political propaganda opportunity to show that while they may be a nuclear power, they also want to have peace with their neighbors.”

Since North Korea agreed to attend the Games, organizers have scrambled to coordinate security and logistics for its delegation, which includes a cheerleading squad.

Jeong Se-yun, a provincial police official involved in the planning, said the North’s decision was a tremendous relief. “But it also created a lot more work for us,” he said. “I’ve barely slept in the last month. That’s why my eyes are always red now.”

One fear is that something might happen during the Games that could prompt North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, to recall its athletes and retaliate in some way.

A small group of right-wing protesters burned an image of Mr. Kim as a North Korean delegation traveled through Seoul last month. The police quickly extinguished the fire to avoid angering the visitors, who accord Mr. Kim an almost godlike status.

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The state media in North Korea condemned the act as a “hideous crime” committed by “human rejects,” and warned that only South Korea would be to blame if the North withdrew from the Games.

There is also concern that a North Korean athlete or another member of the delegation might try to defect, putting the South Korean government in the difficult position of deciding whether to return the defector or anger the North.

Analysts said a defection during the Olympics would be highly unlikely because the North has almost certainly vetted its delegation carefully and would keep its people under close watch.

The authorities are also on alert against a cyberattack, either by the North or by Russia, whose delegation was banned from participating under the Russian flag in the Pyeongchang Games after revelations of systematic government-sponsored doping.

North Korea has developed sophisticated hacking capabilities and launched a series of damaging attacks around the world, including one in 2013 that temporarily knocked out three banks and two television networks in South Korea.

To combat more conventional threats, organizers said the security forces intended to deploy both old-fashioned checkpoints and new technologies such as facial recognition systems, smart cameras and drones. A tactical surveillance blimp will hover above.

South Korea is considered one of the world’s safest tourist destinations, with low crime rates and essentially no history of terrorist activity other than by the North. Nevertheless, the immigration authorities said last month that they had deported 17 foreign nationals believed to pose a terror risk, according to the Korea Times newspaper. Some of the deportees were said to be from Central Asia and Southeast Asia.

“Broadly, we consider the event low-risk,” the London-based Risk Advisory Group wrote in a recent analysis of the Pyeongchang Games. “Compared with the host cities of the most recent Winter and Summer Games in 2014 and 2016 respectively, Pyeongchang is a benign environment in terms of terrorism, crime and unrest.”

In the rural areas around Pyeongchang, the most commonly reported crime is drunken fighting.

Many residents shrugged off the idea that the North might attempt to disrupt the Games, which may reflect the fact that South Koreans have grown accustomed to living within range of its artillery and rockets. Even security officials sounded nonchalant, as if surprised by the world’s anxiety.

“We are well aware of the international community’s concerns about the safety of the Olympics due to threat of North Korean nuclear test and missile launches,” the interagency body established to handle Olympic security said in a statement in response to written questions. “Signs of North Korean provocation are monitored 24/7 through various means every day, regardless of the Olympics.”

The interagency body added that underground evacuation centers for up to 30,000 people had been prepared at an undisclosed site near Pyeongchang for use in the event of any sort of attack.

Other security measures include an emergency alert system that can send messages to all cellphones in the area, though it is unclear whether its operators are prepared for the tens of thousands of foreign visitors en route to Pyeongchang.

One recent morning an alert flashed on cellphones written only in Korean, causing a moment of panic among some non-Korean speakers, who immediately assumed the worst.

It turned out to be a warning to beware of fires because of dry weather.

Su-Hyun Lee contributed research.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/world/asia/olympics-north-korea-security.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fworld&action=click&contentCollection=world&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront

뇌물먹은 북한,마지못해 남북한 Hotline 개통허용,평창올림픽 참가통보,문통은 감지덕지로 화답 - 이게 주권국가냐?

왜이리도 호들갑일까? 북한측에서 직통전화 걸려오기를 무척 기다리고 있었다는 뜻이다. 이런 호들갑은 문통정부만이 아니다. 왜들 이러나?  어린아이가 울고 보채다가도, 엄마가 더이상은 안된다는 신호로 모른척하고 기다리면 아이는 울음을 그친다.  그것은 바로 주면 줄수록 더 앵앵 거린다는 뜻이다. 왜 대한민국은 그것에 목메고 있을까?

버릇만 더 나빠지게 하는 엄마의 행동과 뭐가 다른가.  그만해라.  차라리 모른체 대응도 하지말고, 이들을 힘으로 제압할수 있는 국방력 증강에 더 힘쓰라.  

북한과 오랜기간동안, 한국을 비롯한 전 서방세계가 갖은 방법으로 지구촌의 일원이 돼도록 온갖 정성을 쏟아왔었다.  그러나 결과는 항상 "배신", 공갈, 핵무기 개발에 도움만 주었을 뿐이다.  그들을 왜 평창올림픽에 모실려고 문통정부는 안달이냐? 

남북간에 오래전부터 설치해놓고 사용해온 긴급연락전화(Hotline)는 항상 북한의 입맛에 마추어 연결이 돼고, 또 끊어지고... 그렇게 해오기를 4반세기를 넘게, 마치 인질극을 벌여오듯이 해왔다. 이번의 Hotline재연결도, 각종 퍼주기식 뇌물공여가 그약발을 작용하여 이루어지게 됐다는 추측이 한국뿐 아니라 미국을 위시한 전서방세계의 생각이다. 

김정은이 신년사에서 평창올림픽참가를 첫언급을 했다. 그것은 후속조치가 이루어지는것으로 봐서, 남북한 양쪽에 명령을 내린것이고, 그명령에 따라 분주히 움직이고 그첫단계로 Hotline개통을 한것이다. 신년사가 있기전, 지난해 말부터 문통이 평창올림픽에 초청하는 Invitation을 여러차례 보냈을때는, 어느 개가 짖느냐는 식으로 아무런 반응이 없던 북한이었었다. 분명히 냄새가 많이 난다. 뇌물의 약발효과가 과연 얼마나 지속될지는 이제는 삼척동자도  알고있을 정도로 이골이 나있다.

남한정부와 국민들은, 이런식으로 남북이 전화줄 하나로 연결되면 마치 통일이라도 금새될것처럼 호들갑 떠는 추한 구걸은 그만해야한다. 이런 구걸은 어제 오늘일이 아니다.
하계올림픽, 동계올림픽, 아시안게임 등등의 국제적 운동경기 주최권을 따기위해 얼마나 혼신의 힘을 기울여 왔었는가.

그때마다 북한은 남한을 비난해왔고 전세계가 불법으로 규제하고있는 대륙간탄도미사일, 핵실험을 자행하여, 한반도에 불안감을 주어, 남한에서 개최되는 행사를 방해만 해온, 지구상에서 존재해서는 안되는 짖만골라 해온집단이었다. 오늘 현재까지도 미국팀은 참가한다는 공식발표가 없다.

문통의 좌빠정부에 대해서, 김저은 집단은 더 마음놓고 흔들어 대고, 먹고싶은데로 요리를 할것이다. 벌써부터 선수단및 관련 임원들 수송용 호화 유람선을 Transportation용으로 보내주겠다고 언론에 발표하고있다. 다른 나라들은 참가여부에 관심도 없고, 오직 입북의 김정은 집단 입맛 마추기에 올인하고 있는 추태가 부끄럽기만 하다. 

이번 평창올림픽을 연결고리로 해서, 문통정부는 폐쇄돼왔던 개성공단 재가동을 하게될것이다. 그렇게 하면서,전임정권의 통치행위가 잘못됐었음을 반증하고, 현재 진행되고있는 박전대통령의 재판에 또하나의 억지 죄목을 덧부쳐 세상과 격리시킬것이다.  

평창올림픽이 끝나고 나면, 한국을 위협하는 북의 위협을 3만명의 미군을 주둔시켜가면서 지켜주고있는 미국으로 부터도, 완전 왕따를 당해, 마치 망망대해에서 태풍을 만나 방향을 잃고, 좌초의 위협에 떨면서 속수무책이 된 초라한 돛단배가 돼고, 엎어지면 바로 배밑에서 기회를 노리고 있는 상어떼의 좋은 먹이감으로 전락하고 말것이라는, 그림이 환히 그려지고 있다.
CNN뉴스를 옮겨놨다.

Seoul (CNN)North Korea and South Korea established contact on a hotline that's been dormant for almost two years Wednesday, a major diplomatic breakthrough following a year of escalating hostility and a move that could pave the way for future talks.  

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gave the order to open the line at 3:00 p.m local time (1:30 a.m. ET), according to an announcement on state media in the hours before the two phone calls to the South took place.

According to South Korea's Unification Ministry, the North Koreans made first contact at exactly the time ordered, and the sides were on the phone from 3:30 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. local time (South Korea is half an hour ahead of North Korea). 

During the initial 20-minute connection, the two nations "checked technical issues of the communication line," according to a statement from South Korea's Unification Ministry.

The Unification Ministry said North Korea phoned for a second time several hours later on the Panmunjom hotline, suggesting the two sides wrap up business for the day. 

"The North Korean side called our side at 6:07 p.m. (4.07 a.m. ET) and said 'let's call it a day today,'" the ministry confirmed. 

Other than checking that the link-up was operational, it is unclear what was discussed. A ministry spokeswoman told CNN that there was no mention of future talks or the Olympics.

A South Korean official communicates with a North Korean officer on the dedicated communications hotline at the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea, on Wednesday. 

Contact had been initiated after Kim expressed hope that a North Korean delegation might participate in next month's Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

The calls came just hours after an astonishing tweet from US President Donald Trump, who again taunted the North Korean leader, this time with a boast about the size of his nuclear button. During Kim's New Year's Day address, the North Korean leader had claimed he had a nuclear button of his own on the desk of his office.

"I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!" the US President tweeted.

It's unlikely the timing of North Korea's offer of talks was related to Trump's tweet, however. 

Relations between North and South Korea have warmed in recent days. During an unusually conciliatory New Year's speech, the North Korean leader extended a rare olive branch to the South, suggesting discussions about sending a North Korean team to the Winter Olympics should start "as soon as possible."

In response, South Korean President Moon Jae-In called for swift measures during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday to smooth North Korea's participation in the Games.

Some analysts have said that North Korea's willingness to talk to South Korea could be an attempt to drive a wedge between the US and its South Korean ally.

"The South Korean government, being quite frightened about Washington's bellicosity, is quite ready to welcome the North Korean initiative, and this might lead to an annoyance in the US," said Andrei Lankov from Seoul's Kookmin University. 

Others argue that talks between the Koreas could be advantageous for Washington. Tong Zhao, a fellow at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy in Beijing, says all forms of communication should be welcomed.

"A better North-South relationship would help Washington and the international community to better understand North Korea and to talk it into taking substantive measures of self-restraint," he said.

Rare talks 

Wednesday's contact between the two Koreas marks the first time in almost two years that a special direct hotline in the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone has been used to connect the two countries.

Until Wednesday, North Korea had not answered since February 2016 when South Korea suspended operations at the joint Kaesong Industrial Complex, a business park that once employed workers from both sides.

What is the Kaesong industrial complex? 02:22

"We have been calling North Korea twice a day at 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. but North Korea has not been responding since we had the last contact in February 2016. Nonetheless, we have been calling them every day Monday through Friday," a spokeswoman for the Unification Ministry told CNN on Tuesday. 

The Kaesong Industrial Complex was closed after Pyongyang launched a satellite into space, in what was widely interpreted as a front for a missile test. It followed Pyongyang's claims in January 2016 that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb.

There's been no letup in North Korea's ambitions since; during 2017 it conducted a record number of missile launches and carried out the country's sixth nuclear test.

China reiterated its support for renewed dialogue between North and South on Wednesday, and expressed its hope the US and North Korea can find a way of easing their nuclear rhetoric going forward. 

"China welcomes and supports both the DPRK and South Korean sides taking the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics as an opportunity to make effective efforts to improve mutual relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. 

Referring to Trump's tweet, Geng added: "We hope that both parties can resume dialogue and build mutual trust as soon as possible instead of trying to be brazen and shout with each other."

Olympics as a peace tool

Moon's office welcomed Wednesday's gesture for talks and expressed optimism that they'd be extended from participation in the Winter Olympics to other issues. 

"The restoration of the communication channels means a lot. It is assessed that (we) are headed to setting up a structure through which contacts can be made on a regular basis," said presidential press secretary Yoon Young-chan in a statement echoed by the country's Unification Ministry.

Moon has championed the 2018 Winter Olympics, set to begin February 9, as a possible means of easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. 

In a November interview with CNN, the South Korean leader described the Games as an opportunity for inter-Korean peace and reconciliation, and expressed his hope that the North would participate.

Moon: Olympics an opportunity for peace (2017) 02:41

Only two North Korean athletes have qualified for the Games -- pairs figure skaters Ryom Tae-Ok and Kim Ju-sik. However, the country's National Olympic Committee did not meet an October 30 deadline to accept its spot.

There has been talk of the International Olympic Committee granting an additional quota, something previously proposed by Choi Moon-soon, governor of the Gangwon province that will host the Winter Games.

"If North Korean athletes can participate in the Winter Games and even parade together with their South Korean counterparts in the opening/closing ceremonies, that would send the North-South relationship to the highest level ever seen over the past few years," Tong told CNN.

Daniel Pinkston, a professor of international relations at Troy University, told CNN he expected that North Korea would seek to participate in the Olympics in some capacity, "given the regime's view on sports and the opportunity the Games present for the North to deploy its soft power resources and to exploit any intel collection opportunities."

Haley: US won't accept a nuclear North Korea 02:11

US' tough stance

Trump's hardline stance was backed by the country's Ambassador to the United Nations, who reiterated Tuesday that the US "will never accept a nuclear North Korea."

Before the calls between North and South Korea, Nikki Haley said Pyongyang needed to ban all nuclear weapons as a precondition for any talks.

"We consider this to be a very reckless regime, we don't think we need a Band-Aid and we don't think we need to smile and take a picture," she said. "We think that we need to have them stop nuclear weapons and they need to stop it now."

After a year of increased missiles tests, threats and claims of nuclear capabilities, it's not clear why Kim has decided it's now time to talk. 

Is this North Korea's Oprah moment? 

Lankov from Kookmin University says the most likely explanation is "uncertainty in Pyongyang."

"They hear strange noises emanating from the White House, and they cannot be sure whether President Trump is bluffing when he hints at his willingness to use force. So, they obviously decided to slow down, and start the charm offensive now," he said.

Lankov added that while there's no suggestion North Korea is going to curb the pace of its nuclear program, the resumption of talks with the South might mitigate increasing tensions between Pyongyang and Washington. 

Related: 'We will never accept a nuclear North Korea' - Nikki Haley

"The new developments will indeed decrease the likelihood of a war breaking in Korea as a result of the US military strike," Lankov said.

Jake Tapper: None of this is stable behavior 02:32

Earlier this week, Euan Graham, director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute, told CNN that the North's offer of talks with South Korea shouldn't be taken at face value.

"Up until now, they just haven't shown any interest in engaging with the South, or anyone else for that matter," he said.

"But an olive branch is always wrapped in some sort of belligerent coating in North Korea, it doesn't mean the end of the nuclear program.

"Even if they do reach out and send a delegation to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, it wouldn't surprise me at all if they accompanied that with a continuing testing program as the spring comes, be that a submarine launch or satellite launch," Graham added.

CNN's Steve George contributed to this report from Hong Kong while Tim Schwarz contributed from Beijing.

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http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/03/asia/north-korea-south-hotline/index.html