[Annotated] The leaders of the two Koreas meet again

Their second summit in a month may have put détente with^[각주:1] America back on track^[각주:2]

There is an old saying about buses; you wait for one for ages, then two come along at once. The same may now be said of inter-Korean summits^[각주:3]. On May 26th Moon Jae-in, South Korea's president, and Kim Jong Un, the North's leader, added another surprise to a week already rich in them by meeting for informal talks on the northern side of the demilitarized zone between^[각주:4] their two countries. The meeting came less than a month after the two men had vowed to bring about peace^[각주:5] and "complete denuclearization" on^[각주:6] the peninsula during the first summit between leaders of the two Koreas in more than a decade. 

Like the first summit, the impromptu meeting on^[각주:7] May 26th featured a show of bonhomie^[각주:8]. Pictures released by South Korea's presidential office show the two leaders sharing a warm embrace after^[각주:9] concluding their talks^[각주:10]. "It was a meeting between friends," Mr Moon said on May 27th. The two men agreed to hold a new round of working-level talks^[각주:11], which Mr Kim had cancelled the week before, on June 1st, and to arrange dates for military-level discussions and preparatory talks to^[각주:12] reinstate family reunions^[각주:13]. 

But the primary purpose of the talks appears to have been to salvage another meeting^[각주:14]: a summit between Mr Kim and Donald Trump, America's president, scheduled for June 12th in Singapore. The "peace process^[각주:15]" instituted in^[각주:16] April had looked all but dead^[각주:17] two days previously when Mr Trump had concluded that hostile comments^[각주:18] and other confusing signals from the North indicated a lack of seriousness, and so called off that summit^[각주:19]. 

Mr Moon said on May 27th that Mr Kim had asked to meet two days previously, after Mr Trump's summit cancellation, suggesting that the North was spooked by^[각주:20] the sudden volte face in^[각주:21] Washington, DC. Mr Kim remained committed to the peace process^[각주:22] and the "complete denuclearization" of the peninsula, claimed Mr Moon, but was worried about the reliability of^[각주:23] American guarantees for the security of his regime. That is the crux of^[각주:24] the stand-off between^[각주:25] America and the North: America wants "complete, verifiable^[각주:26], and irreversible^[각주:27] denuclearization", but Mr Kim seems to view nuclear arms as the only way to ensure his regime's survival. 

Mr Moon's comments, which were echoed by^[각주:28] Sunday's edition of Rodong Sinmum, the North's official party newspaper, suggest that Mr Kim remains keen on^[각주:29] détente and particularly on the show of legitimacy that the Singapore summit would mean for his regime^[각주:30]. His apparent worries about security guarantees suggest that he may indeed have been spooked by^[각주:31] America's talk of the "Libyan model" for denuclearization. Depending on which American official is talking, the phrase means either that the North must disarm completely before^[각주:32] it receives any benefits in exchange or that if the North does not disarm, America will see to it that he goes the way of Libya's late dictator, Muammar Qaddafi, who was overthrown^[각주:33], dragged from a ditch^[각주:34], beaten and shot. 

Apart from^[각주:35] a renewed^[각주:36] commitment to^[각주:37] "complete denuclearization" - a vague term also used in the declaration that^[각주:38] followed^[각주:39] last month's inter-Korean summit - Mr Kim appeared to offer no new concessions^[각주:40]. The mixed signals continue: the North's official news agency put out a statement on^[각주:41] May 27th deriding countries choosing the path of "compromise and concession" as^[각주:42] "feeble-minded^[각주:43]". Compromising with^[각주:44] "imperialists", it said, was "little short of inviting one's own death^[각주:45]".

Pressed on the denuclearization question by reporters, Mr Moon said that the "roadmap" for^[각주:46] denuclearization would have to be worked out between America and North Korea, suggesting no progress had so far been made on that front. Nonetheless, Mr Trump appears mollified^[각주:47]. The president had already floated the idea that^[각주:48] the Singapore summit might still happen in a tweet on May 25th, before learning of the meeting between the two Korean leaders. Late on May 26th Mr Trump was sounding as if he had never cancelled anything: "It's moving along very nicely. So we're looking at June 12th in Singapore. That hasn't changed. So, we'll see what happens."

1. detente ; [명사] (불어에서 격식) (국가간의) 긴장 완화[관계 개선], 데탕트 ;; (국제) 데탕트, 국제적인 긴장 완화, 특히 냉전시대 동서진영 간의 긴장 완화를 의미 ;; 미국·영국 [|deɪ|tɑ:nt] [본문으로]
2. back on track ; (실수·실패 뒤에) 다시 정상 궤도에 들어선 [본문으로]
3. inter- ; [접두사] (동사・명사・형용사・부사에서) <‘…사이의', ‘상호간의'라는 뜻을 나타냄> ;; 참고 ; intra- [본문으로]
4. demilitarize ; [타동사][VN] [주로 수동태로] (어떤 지역을) 비무장 지대로 만들다 [본문으로]
5. bring about ; [VERB] to cause to happen [본문으로]
6. denuclearization ; [명사] 비핵화 [본문으로]
7. impromptu ; 즉석에서[의], 준비 없이[는], 즉흥으로[의](extempore)(예고를 받지 못했거나 예기치 못한 연설자 등에 대하여 씀) ;; 미국식 [ɪm|prɑ:mptu:] 영국식 [ɪm|prɒmptju:] [본문으로]
8. bonhomie ; [U] (불어에서 격식) 친밀감 ;; 온후함; 쾌활 ;; 싹싹함, 상냥함, 순박함.;; 온용(溫容)(pleasantness of manner), 친밀감이 도는[호의적인] 태도(geniality) ; (성품의) 담백(淡白), 솔직(frankness, simplicity). ;; ORIGIN French = good nature [본문으로]
9. a warm embrace ; 부드러운 포옹 [본문으로]
10. conclude ;; 2. ~ (sth) (with sth) (격식) 끝나다; 끝내다, 마치다 [본문으로]
11. working-level talks ; 실무자 회담, 실무 회담 [본문으로]
12. preparatory ; [형용사] 1. 예비[준비]가 되는, 예비[준비]의(to, for). [본문으로]
13. reinstate ; 2. (원위치・상태로) 회복시키다 [본문으로]
14. salvage ; (난파선·화재 따위에서) 구출하다; (침몰선을) 인양하다; (환자·상해 장소를) 구하다; (비유)(악화된 상태에서) 구하다, 지키다 ;; 미국∙영국 [|sӕlvɪdƷ] [본문으로]
15. peace process ; [명사] (주로 단수로) 평화 협상 과정[절차] [본문으로]
16. institute ; [타동사] 1. (제도·관습 따위를) 마련하다, 제정하다; (조사를) 시작하다, (소송을) 제기하다 [본문으로]
17. be all but[almost] dead ; 초주검이 되다, 거의 죽어있다, 거의 소용이 없게 되다, 죽은것이나 마찬가지다 [본문으로]
18. hostile ; 1. ~ (to/towards sb/sth) 적대적인 ;; 2. ~ (to sth) (~을) 강력히 반대[거부]하는 ;; 3. (진행・달성을) 어렵게 하는 [본문으로]
19. call off ; [동사] 중지하다, 취소하다; (주의를 딴 곳으로) 돌리다, 포기하다; (명부를) 큰 소리로 읽다. ;; 동의어 ; cancel; summon, take away. [본문으로]
20. spook ; (비격식 특히 美) (사람・동물을) 겁먹게 하다; 겁먹다 [본문으로]
21. volte face ; a complete change of opinion or plan ;; 미국식 [|vɔ:lt|fɑ:s] 영국식 [|vɒlt|fɑ:s] [본문으로]
22. remain committed to ; ~하는 것에 열성을 보이고 있다, 전념, 매진하고 있다. [본문으로]
23. reliability ; [U] 신뢰할 수 있음, 믿음직함, 신뢰도, 확실성 [본문으로]
24. crux ; [sing.] the ~ (of sth) (문제나 쟁점의) 가장 중요한[곤란한] 부분 [본문으로]
25. stand-off ; [명사] ~ (between A and B) (회담 등의) 교착 상태 [본문으로]
26. verifiable ; [형용사] 증명할 수 있는; 입증[검증]할 수 있는 [본문으로]
27. irreversible ; [형용사] (이전 상태로) 되돌릴[철회할] 수 없는 [본문으로]
28. echo ; 3. [타동사][VN] (사상・의견에) 공명하다[반향을 보이다] [본문으로]
29. keen on ; …을 아주 좋아하는, …에 관심이 많은. [본문으로]
30. mean for ; …을 위해 계획하다, 꾀하다. [본문으로]
31. spook ; [타동사] (비격식 특히 美) (사람・동물을) 겁먹게 하다; 겁먹다 [본문으로]
32. disarm ; (참고: arm) 1. [타동사][VN] 무장 해제시키다 ;; 2. [자동사][V] (한 국가나 집단이) 군비를 (특히 핵무기를) 축소[해제]하다 ;; 3. [타동사][VN] (화가 났거나 비판적인 사람의) 마음을 누그러뜨리다 [본문으로]
33. overthrow ; (-threw[-θrúː]; -thrown[-θróun]) 1. 뒤엎다, 끌어내리다, 꺼꾸러뜨리다; 타도하다, 정복하다 ;; 2. <정부·국가·군주 등을> 전복하다(subvert); 폐지하다; 바꾸다 [본문으로]
34. ditch ; 3. 참호; 요새의 호(壕) [본문으로]
35. apart from (또한 a'side from 특히 美) ; [전치사] 1. …외에는, …을 제외하고 ;; 2. …외에도[뿐만 아니라] [본문으로]
36. renewed ; [형용사] (주로 명사 앞에 씀) (새로운 관심・강도로) 재개된, (관심・강도가) 새로워진 [본문으로]
37. (a) commitment to ; …에의 헌신, 매진, 몰두, 강한 의지 [본문으로]
38. declaration ; 1. [C , U] (정부나 단체의) 선언문[서]; 선언, 공표 ;; 2. [C] (특히 감정이나 신념을 나타낸) 맹세[진술] [본문으로]
39. follow ; 2. HAPPEN/DO AFTER | (시간・순서상으로) 뒤를 잇다; (결과가) 뒤따르다 [본문으로]
40. concession ; 1. [C , U] (언쟁을 끝내거나 상황을 개선하기 위한) 양보[양해] ;; 참고 ; concede [본문으로]
41. put out a statement ; 성명서를 발표하다 [본문으로]
42. deride ; [흔히 수동태로] ~ sb/sth (as sth) (격식) 조롱[조소]하다 ;; …을 (…라고) 비웃다, 조소하다, 조롱하다(mock) ((as)) ;; 동의어 ; ridicule ;; 미국∙영국 [dɪ|raɪd] [본문으로]
43. feeble-minded ; 1. 정신 박약의, 지능이 낮은. ;; 2. [구어] 어리석은, 멍청한(foolish, stupid). [본문으로]
44. compromise with ; …와 타협하다. [본문으로]
45. invite ; 3. (특히 좋지 않은 일을) 불러들이다[자초하다] [본문으로]
46. road map ; 2. (일・계획 등에 일목요연하게 정리한) 지침, 로드 맵 [본문으로]
47. mollified ; [형용사] 화가 누그러진, 감정이 진정된 [본문으로]
48. float ; 5. SUGGEST IDEA | [타동사][VN] (다른 사람들이 고려하도록 계획・생각을) 제시하다[내놓다] [본문으로]