Inter-Korean relations have experienced multiple improvements the past few weeks, the most recent of which was Seoul’s decision to send a delegation to Pyongyang. On Monday, South Korea will be sending a ten-member group to the North for what they hope will be a productive two-day trip. However, talks between Washington and Pyongyang have yet to be agreed upon.

Chung Eui-yong, the National Security Council chief, will be leading a five-member delegation as special envoy to North Korea. The aim is to discuss the possibility of U.S-North Korea talks, increase inter-Korean exchange and improve diplomatic relations.

Besides Chung, the members of the delegation to Pyongyang include Suh Hoon, Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS); Chun Hae-sung, Vice Unification Minister; Kim Sang-gyun, Second Deputy Director of the NIS; and Yun Kun-young, a senior Blue House official in charge of monitoring state affairs.

The delegation will seek to acquire more information about Kim Jong-un’s views on various issues and subsequently relay this information back to the South Korean president. After completing their visit to Pyongyang, Chung and Suh will depart to the U.S to brief their American counterparts on what was discussed with the North “in the near future.”

Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether the South Koreans will have achieved any concrete concessions from North Korea that will please their American allies. Following the Pyeongchang Olympics, the North Korean regime expressed a willingness to not only continue talks with the South but also to engage in a dialogue with the United States. Although desiring communication, the U.S made it clear they expect North Korea to take active steps towards denuclearization.

U.S President Donald Trump said “…we want to talk also, only under the right conditions. Otherwise, we’re not talking.” In a press briefing the same day, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders added that “Anything that would be discussed [with North Korea] would have to be solely on the focus of them agreeing to denuclearize the Peninsula” and added that denuclearization would be the “primary factor in whether or not we would have any conversation with them.”

Consequently, North Korea said they would reject talks with the U.S if they came with any “preconditions.” They see these preconditions as a rejection to their offer of dialogue. Pyongyang remains open for talks but does not accept Washington’s precondition that the North must have a willingness to denuclearize. North Korea has made it clear they will “neither beg for dialogue nor evade the military option claimed by the U.S” and they also asserted the talks must be between states on an equal footing.

In light of this, the South Korean delegation is expected to make efforts to promote U.S-North Korea dialogue during their visit to Pyongyang. Permanent peace on the Peninsula will continue to be elusive without first establishing a cooperative relationship between Pyongyang and Washington. Moreover, lack of U.S-N.K dialogue will also hinder the extent to which inter-Korean relations can improve.

However, not all in South Korea agree with the president’s most recent decision. Domestic opposition parties argue that the country risks entering “fake” peace talks as the North has yet to make any concrete concessions. Some are also calling for Seoul to send an envoy to Washington first in order to coordinate with their American allies and set up a united front to confront Pyongyang.

But time is running out. The PyeongChang Paralympics end on March 18 and will then be followed by the resumption of U.S-S.K military drills in early April. The North sees such military exercises as aggressive and as being conducted in preparation for war. The South Korean delegation needs to achieve some kind of concession from the North so that their subsequent meeting with U.S officials will be productive and can move diplomatic negotiations forward.

Severely weakened by sanctions, North Korea is in desperate need of help from outside its borders. The U.S “maximum pressure” campaign has left the country even more isolated and economically vulnerable than it has been in previous years. Kim Jong-un has also not been as diplomatically active as his father or grandfather and has instead been more hostile and aggressive to the outside world through conducting more missile tests than both his predecessors combined.

Entering into diplomatic negotiations with such a regime is all but easy and needs to be conducted pragmatically, sternly, and consistently. Seoul is currently playing the role of mediator between the U.S and North Korea while focusing on building trust and increasing communication with the North. It is vital South Korea demonstrates its willingness to work closely with both states while pursuing the engagement policy it sees as best fit to achieve its long-term objectives.

For now, the most pressing issue is to develop an environment in which US-North Korea talks can take place. Such talks should ideally take place before the joint military drills resume. There is only one month left to secure this dialogue before the situation on the Peninsula possibly takes a turn for the worst.

Two Koreas get closer while Pyongyang rejects Washington’s preconditions for talks was originally published in The Peninsula Report on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.