Ex-U.S. Nat'l Security Advisor John Bolton criticizes Seoul's efforts to facilitate N. Korea-U.S. talks

볼턴 회고록, 한국 외교의 명암 노출The memoir of President Trump's former security top aide, John Bolton, is also sparking controversy in South Korea,... as it criticizes efforts put forth by the Moon Jae-in administration to make possible a summit between the leaders of Pyeongyang and Washington.Although many doubt the credibility of Bolton's statements,... they could serve as a lesson for Seoul's diplomacy going forward.Kim Hyo-sun reports.In his soon-to-be-released memoir,... former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton criticizes South Korea's Moon Jae-in administration for facilitating the Pyeongyang-Washington summit.He wrote how everything was Seoul's creation,... relating more to its own unification agenda than serious strategy,... explaining the South's understanding of the term 'denuclearization' bore no relationship to fundamental U.S. interests.He also pointed out that he began to suspect the 'end-of-war declaration' was in fact the Moon administration's idea rather than the North's.However, there's scant evidence to prove that Bolton's assertion is true.In fact, President Moon stated in the lead up to the 2018 inter-Korean summit that the North Korea-U.S. dialogue and the regime's denuclearization should be the conditions for further talks between the two Koreas.Seoul and Washington also formed a working group to promote closer coordination between the two allies,... which the North criticized as the South's dependence on "foreign forces."Bolton also writes in his book that President Moon's diplomacy proved to be ineffective when the leaders of North Korea and the U.S. met again early last year in Hanoi.Bolton said Seoul predicted the two countries would ink a joint declaration,... when President Trump had three scenarios in his mind - which he described as a big deal, a small deal and breakdown.While it's impossible to judge the credibility of Bolton's statements,... they could serve as a major lesson for South Korea's diplomacy going forward,... especially as President Trump and his top aides now share a similar distaste for Bolton.Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.