The recent warming of inter-Korean ties required a lot of behind-the-scenes diplomatic muscle. To bring Moon Jae-in’s vision for a “Peace Olympics” to life, Seoul expeditiously coordinated with the UN and the U.S. to request and secure sanctions exemptions. This raises new questions about what sort of engagement initiatives could get off the ground in the near future.

As before, the initiatives that North Korea prefers – grand spectacles and money-making opportunities – are not aligned with the interests of the international community.

And the kind of transformative and meaningful interactions preferred by the outside