South Korea promotes DMZ 'peace zone' with new video

Nov. 6 (UPI) -- South Korea is promoting its militarized border with the North as an "international peace zone" amid stalled negotiations with Pyongyang.

A new promotional video, featuring President Moon Jae-in's speech before the United Nations General Assembly in September, will be made available on social media platforms and translated into English and Japanese, South Korean news service News 1 reported Wednesday.

Moon's idea of conceptualizing the DMZ as a peace zone has an objective: provide substantial security guarantees to the North, so as to help advance the peace process on the Korean Peninsula, according to the report.

A source at the presidential Blue House in Seoul said the video was made without specific instructions from Moon. The footage of past summits and wildlife runs for about six minutes and is not yet available online. News 1 uploaded excerpts of the footage to YouTube on Wednesday.

South Korea is promoting peace at a time when analysts are warning of a possible collapse in diplomacy.

Joel Wit, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington, said in Seoul on Wednesday the U.S.-North Korea diplomatic process could collapse in 2020, unless President Donald Trump agrees to travel to Pyongyang to meet with Kim Jong Un, Yonhap reported.

Wit, a former U.S. State Department official, warned the road ahead for U.S.-North Korea relations could soon present challenges.

The analyst pointed out working-level talks between the two sides have failed. He criticized the North Koreans for not thoroughly preparing for talks, as the United States did in Sweden in October.

North Korea's provocations, including the tests of new weapons systems, have set neighbors on edge.

NHK reported Wednesday Tokyo is seeking the renewal of a military intelligence-sharing agreement with Seoul. South Korea has said it is not planning to renew GSOMIA at the end of November, citing disputes.

Moon and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recently met to address concerns and mitigate tensions, but Tokyo said Wednesday it is not interested in removing trade restrictions, even if Seoul renews GSOMIA, according to the report.