South Korean officials believe Pyongyang's silence on the historic progress suggests it is taking a cautious approach to the talks.
Distance from the President of the United States quickly accept North Korea's leaders invited talks has in the past five days, message of South Korea's President, delegation is travelling to China from the United States, Russia and Japan, North Korea talks sponsors but still has not given any response.
On Monday, South Korean officials said Pyongyang's silence on the historic progress indicated that it was taking a cautious approach to the talks. The White House said on the same day that if north Korea adheres to its commitment, the United States looks forward to the unprecedented talks between Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim. There are comments that Kim Jong Un is now "sitting in the driver's seat".
So far, North Korea has not publicly or privately responded to a proposal by Mr. Kim to hold talks with Mr. Trump before May. "We don't see, also did not receive the North Korean government official response of U.S.-North Korea talks," South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Bai Taixuan said, "I think they are carefully deal with the matter, they need time to sort out their positions." North Korean media also kept quiet about the proposed summit in late April. Mr Bai said the South Korean government was seeking to set up a committee to prepare for the inter-Korean summit, although the two countries had not yet started working-level consultations.
The Yonhap News Agency said the North's official Korean Central News Agency reported on the visit of the South Korean mission, but did not elaborate on the talks. North Korean media continue to criticize U.S. sanctions against North Korea, but anti-american rhetoric has eased. The North Korean news, a Pro-North Korean publication issued in Japan, reported on Saturday that it had proposed the summit, but deleted it the next day. The newspaper is not the official North Korean media, but it is also the face of Pyongyang.
There is a view that North Korea is postponing its response so as to make plausible deniability in future days. "It seems that the South Korean people sitting in the driver seat," the Journal Diplomat points out, "but we are very worried about, we all know the north's intent from the South Korean President's special envoy, if the information they give finally proved to be exaggerated, they will face the embarrassment, will damage to U.S.-Korea alliance." South Korea's East Asia Daily said the north was conducting internal consultations, and that Mr. Kim might offer the possibility of a peace treaty, diplomatic relations and nuclear disarmament. There is an armistice between the two Koreas, but no peace treaty has been signed. Signing such a treaty would mean resolving the issue of U.S. troops handing over wartime command to South Korean and United Nations forces.
Despite Pyongyang's silence, the White House continues to speak. On Monday, when asked if North Korea's silence meant that the summit might not be held, White House spokesman Sarah Sanders said: "we are very much looking forward to it." "The proposal has been sent and we have accepted it. North Korea has made several commitments, "Mr. Sanders said at a regular briefing." we expect them to abide by these commitments, and if so, the talks will proceed as planned."
"Now is still in the very early stage," U.S. Secretary of State Tillerson said during a visit to Nigeria on Monday, "we have not heard any direct messages from North Korea, but we hope that we can hear the sound of them directly." He argued that there was a need for some steps to agree on the location and scope of the talks, and that a "neutral" location was needed.
Newsweek said Mr. Trump's quick acceptance of Mr. Kim's proposal on Thursday was a major violation of U.S. foreign policy. Nuclear nonproliferation experts believe this will bring a major diplomatic victory for North Korea's leaders -- and he will be able to show that the United States is treating him equally because of his nuclear Arsenal. "From the perspective of Kim Jong Un, agree to talks with Trump, means that he has achieved a significant goal," America's former chief nuclear negotiator think Wendy Sherman, "Now, he is the man sitting in the driver seat, real accelerator and the brakes are at his feet."
White House officials, however, have been hoping to downplay the importance of the summit, saying the talks do not mean the start of negotiations and will not be held until North Korea takes "concrete action". On Monday, the U.S. National Security adviser to the UN Security Council McMaster's special envoy to the situation said: "we agreed that we are optimistic about this opportunity, but we are determined to continue to maintain the maximum pressure, until we see consistent words and deeds, and real progress toward denuclearization." On the same day, Vice President Mr. Burns in response to Fox news "if North Korea really may denuclearisation" questions, as the President has often said, "we wait and see" - stop missile and nuclear tests, at the same time is not opposed to military exercises the United States and South Korea, Kim Jong Un, "a big step forward," this is the result of Trump hard line.
Former U.S. diplomat said Sherman, although she doesn't believe Kim Jong Un, "eager to denuclearization," but she was happy to see the U.S. and the DPRK began negotiations, even if it's just begin with "a meeting", "negotiation, of course, is better than war." However, she warned that a failed diplomatic effort could be an "excuse" for war if mishandled.
On Monday, the South Korean President's mission visited China and briefed the Chinese on visits to the DPRK and the U.S. to promote dialogue between the DPRK and the U.S. Today, they will travel to Russia and Japan respectively. Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a meeting yesterday that he hoped all parties would be patient and careful, play political wisdom and properly handle and defuse various issues and disturbances in the process of the resumption of talks.