(EDITORIAL from Korea JoongAng Daily on Nov. 16)

U. S.-China-Russia summit must not become another Yalta Conference: South Korea must ensure that its security and North Korean denuclearization are not traded away at the upcoming U. S.-China-Russia summit. The first summit involving the leaders of the United States, China and Russia is scheduled for Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, summit in Shenzhen, China. The gathering of U. S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, representing three nuclear powers, will inevitably attract international attention. But concerns outweigh expectations that the meeting could revive the nightmare of the 1945 Yalta Conference, when major powers reshaped the international order without consulting the countries directly affected. The three leaders approach the meeting with different calculations. Trump, weakened by his party's midterm election defeat, hopes to secure diplomatic achievements through nuclear arms reduction and a resolution of the Iran war; Putin stands to benefit simply by escaping diplomatic isolation over Russia's invasion of Ukraine; and Xi seeks diplomatic leadership but remains reluctant to discuss nuclear disarmament because of China's comparatively smaller arsenal. Their conflicting interests make agreement difficult. Nevertheless, transactional diplomacy involving concessions among major powers remains possible, with potentially profound consequences for security on the Korean Peninsula. The greatest concern is that South Korea could be excluded from discussions about its own security while the North's status as a nuclear weapons state gains tacit acceptance. With the White House leaving open the possibility of Trump meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Pyongyang is also moving quickly. Following his recent visit to Dandong, Kim dispatched Kim Song-nam, the Workers' Party's international affairs secretary, to China and close aide Jo Yong-won to Russia. By strengthening ties with Beijing and Moscow, Pyongyang may seek relief from international sanctions and abandonment of the denuclearization objective. After World War II, smaller nations, including South Korea, became objects of negotiation rather than participants determining their own destinies. That history explains why Kyiv fears another Yalta and why Tokyo worries about closer cooperation among Washington, Beijing and Moscow. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun was therefore right to warn the United States and China against discussing Korean Peninsula affairs unilaterally. The government must mobilize every diplomatic channel, strengthen South Korea-U. S. coordination and trilateral cooperation with Japan and maintain communication with China and Russia. Preserving the principle of North Korean denuclearization must remain paramount. Above all, Seoul must secure a firm commitment from Washington that any negotiations with Pyongyang will not replace denuclearization with a nuclear freeze or arms control arrangement. The South cannot afford to become a bargaining chip in negotiations among nuclear powers. It must directly represent and protect its security interests throughout the diplomatic process. Seoul should focus its diplomatic resources on ensuring that the Shenzhen summit strengthens regional peace, not repeat the Yalta experience of 81 years ago, when its future was determined by decisions made elsewhere.(END) Articles with issue keywords