As the Pyeongchang Olympics near, the pressure on President Moon builds. These Olympics are different. Besides ensuring the success of this huge sports event, South Korea has to deal with multiple political and diplomatic elements. Politics has taken center stage since North Korea decided to attend the Games and send high ranking officials to the South. Besides this, President Moon has meetings lined up with 26 state leaders and foreign dignitaries from 21 countries. The Pyeongchang Games thus offer South Korea a unique opportunity to strengthen existing alliances and to promote its foreign policy plans on the international stage.

Japan

The summit with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is likely to be one of the most serious meetings the South Korean President will have. Abe will likely use the occasion to reinforce Japan’s tough stance on the comfort women issue, ask for evacuation support for Japanese nationals living in South Korea in case of an attack, and promote the idea of a trilateral effort with the US to put “maximum level of pressure”on North Korea. President Moon has to tread carefully, though. Putting too much pressure on Japan for the comfort women issue risks damaging potential cooperation on North Korea while saying nothing at all would damage Moon’s reputation at home. Although it is important to receive a sincere apology from Japan, the immediate priority needs to be increasing cooperation between the two countries to effectively deal with the North Korean threat.

China

Given its proximity to the Korean Peninsula and its relations with Pyongyang, China should be seen as a vital partner in the peace process. President Moon will meet with Han Zheng, special envoy for President Xi Jinping and Chinese Politburo Standing Committee member.

During the meeting, President Moon should praise the Chinese for their recent actions related to implementing UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea, including the most recent list of banned products for export to the country. The Chinese should be encouraged to continue implementing all sanctions against North Korea and be included in diplomatic engagements on the matter. A trilateral meeting will be taking place “as soon as possible” between Japan, China, and South Korea which marks a strong step in the right direction.

European Allies

President Moon will also be holding meetings with multiple European leaders and officials. Moon already had meetings with the President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid, Canadian Governor General Julie Payette and Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė. In the upcoming days, Moon will have a luncheon with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Slovenian President Borut Pahor.The King and Queen of the Netherlands will also be going to Pyeongchang and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will be meeting President Moon separately.

The French Foreign Minister will also be visiting South Korea and attend a meeting with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha to discuss the North Korean nuclear issue and will seek to strengthen bilateral and economic relations with its long standing ally. President Moon will also be meeting with the prime minister of Norway and the presidents of Latvia, Poland, and Switzerland. When meeting with each of these European officials, it’s important for Moon to strengthen existing alliances and gain support for his approach in dealing with North Korea. The more support his policies have in Europe, the easier it will be to counterbalance US influence on South Korean foreign policy.

UN Secretary General

The UN has long played a vital role in South Korea and the upcoming meeting between Moon and UN Secretary General António Guterres should work on strengthening the bilateral relationship and to effectively communicate the South’s foreign policy plans. So far, Guterres has vowed to “do everything possible” to encourage a peaceful solution to the Korean conflict. North Korea has also demonstrated its interest in the UN by allowing the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman to visit Pyongyang. Feltman emphasized the need to build trust and communication between the two Koreas; recommendations that Seoul should strongly consider.

United States

US Vice President Pence will be attending the Games and will be meeting with both Prime Minister Abe and President Moon. A meeting with North Korean officials is also not off the table. In fact, everything seems to be on the table. The US has welcomed recent diplomatic breakthroughs but are skeptical about their prospects. Under Trump, the US has taken a more aggressive, often provocative, stance towards North Korea, resulting in an increasingly US-hostile Pyongyang. For instance, the North Korean Rodong Sinmun newspaper recently referred to Trump as a “lunatic” and “the boss of gangsters.”

Lack of consistency and throwing around reckless comments will not help the Korean peace process but will instead weaken Seoul’s diplomatic stance vis-à-vis Pyongyang. Considering a “bloody nose” option and talks of a preventive strike need to be strongly condemned by Seoul. Moon must make clear that the security relationship between the US and South Korea is highly important but that the ultimate decision lies with his administration; something the US should respect.

North Korea

The decision by North Korea to participate in the Games has definitely captured the world’s attention. The decision resulted in the first inter-Korean talks after nearly two years. Critics say the North is only using the event to put up a fake façade for sanctions to be lifted, but despite possible ulterior motives, the move should be welcomed. North Korea is sending 22 athletes, a 230-strong cheering squad, an orchestra, a taekwondo performance team, and a 140-member Samjiyon art troupe. The Blue House is considering holding a meeting between Moon and Kim Yong-nam, the president of the Presidium of North Korea’s Parliament. Besides sending this high level official, the North announced on Wednesday that Kim Jong-un’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, will also be attending the Games, making her the first immediate family member of the North’s ruling family to ever visit South Korea.

Of course, one should not be too overly optimistic either. Agreeing to take part in the Games is far from agreeing to denuclearization. But, it’s much better than having the North testing missiles every other month, as was the case last year. Having North and South Koreans interact with one another on the same soil should already be seen as a positive step. President Moon should seize this very rare opportunity to advance concrete efforts to restart inter-Korean communication, suggest future North-South diplomatic meetings at Panmunjeom, and to reiterate the South’s ultimate goal of peaceful reunification in the long-term. A war on the Korean Peninsula would be devastating for both sides; a fact that the South must make abundantly clear in order to get the North to the negotiating table.

Challenges

Of course, there are a myriad of challenges that come into play. The main challenge will be to ensure inter-Korean diplomatic talks continue beyond the Games. There is a very real possibility that the North will launch another missile test soon after the event is over. However, the South needs to use this opportunity and make the best of it. It’s important to note here that talking doesn’t mean making concessions, it just means acting as responsible leaders representing millions of people who don’t want to die or have their country destroyed by war, which seems logical enough.

Another significant challenge involves striking a balance between remaining a “good ally” to the US while demonstrating genuine reconciliation interests with North Korea. The two increasingly seem to be contradictory. The US is a necessary partner for South Korea for security reasons but also because North Korea wants the US to provide them with security and political guarantees. However, to get there, solid and regular diplomatic interactions between the North and South are necessary. Till now, having the US too intimately involved has heightened the iron curtain between the North and South and hindered genuine diplomatic advances due to fiery rhetoric, careless comments, and dangerous threats. It’s no surprise the North doesn’t feel comfortable talking to the US given this provocative behavior.

Critics should understand that the aim here is not appeasement, but engagement. Peace will never be possible if the two sides aren’t even talking to each other and if there are zero levels of trust. It might not work, but the South should try and increase direct diplomatic communications with the North; just the two of them. As long as the US is looming over South Korea’s shoulder, the North will not make any concessions. Denuclearization is not something that will happen after one or a few meetings. It will take time, trust, and a significant improvement in the relationship between the two Koreas.

Towards a Moon-Doctrine

President Moon has a unique opportunity to leave a lasting legacy depending on the choices he makes during his presidency. However, one key ingredient seems to be missing; boldness. South Korea is no longer a helpless colony forced to take orders from big powers; it has proved its inherent democratic strength and must take the lead in the quest for peace on the Korean Peninsula. President Moon should take note of the lessons learned from previous pro-engagement attempts, mainly former President Roh Tae-woo’s Nordpolitik and President Kim Dae-jung’s Sunshine Policy. Moon must create his own doctrine for dealing with the North; one characterized by boldness and assertiveness paired with diplomacy centered on trust, communication, and the goal of a peaceful reunification of the Peninsula in the future. Moreover, this strategy could win over international support by appealing to universal reason and morality. Finally, let’s also remember what Trump said during his campaign referring to North Korea.

“… What the hell is wrong with speaking? And you know what? It’s called opening a dialogue.”

Exactly, so let’s try that.

Pyeongchang 2018: The Ultimate Opportunity for Diplomacy? was originally published in The Peninsula Report on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.