Seoul Deploys Secret Weapon to Sell North Korea Engagement

Veteran adviser with many friends and a flair for controversy tries to keep the wheels of detente rolling

Pyongyang and Seoul are pushing ahead with symbolic inter-Korean exchanges—family reunions, joint sports teams and cultural events—amid concerns that denuclearization efforts have hit an impasse. Photo: AP and Getty Images
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SEOUL—As the U.S. and North Korea track an unsteady course toward a nonnuclear North, Seoul is trying to sustain the engagement by deploying a veteran adviser with the distinction of being respected in both Washington and Pyongyang.

Moon Chung-in, special adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, said in an interview that U.S.-North Korea talks are stalled—and that Seoul aims to prod both sides to keep moving in the direction of disarmament and peace.

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