Neena Gill (S&D). – Mr President, as the Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs said, I also had the privilege of being on this delegation and actually visiting the border between the two Koreas. Seeing with one’s own eye the most militarised frontier in the world brings home the intensity of tensions and the threat felt by the South Korean people, so I welcome the clear signs of a willingness to engage from both sides, although the main onus is obviously on DPRK, a helpful step that could be taken by South Korea would be not to overly insist – I believe – on reunification, especially given that we sense that the younger generation sees this as less important than peaceful coexistence.

At the same time, I think it’s really important that we are not overly naive. It wouldn’t be the first time that countries open up to DPRK following positive signs, but that funding is quickly diverted to further development of nuclear weapons, as has happened to Japan in the past. The difficulty of monitoring underground networks, equally, makes it extremely difficult to ensure compliance with any future deal. So, talks between the US President Trump and King Yong Un scheduled for May need to be underpinned by a coherent strategy rather than motions or machismo. Involvement of regional actors is key. Both Koreans have talks later this month, but Japan, which has had two missiles over its territory in the past year, does not have a seat.

I would urge that the US strategy is first and foremost informed by the concerns and interests of these countries, rather than the hawkish views held by some of the people who advise the President on the Hill.