Koreas Meet for Nuclear Talks

North and South Korean nuclear negotiators met yesterday in Beijing in an attempt to re-energize a multilateral agreement to denuclearize North Korea, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Feb. 21).

South Korean envoy Chun Yung-woo spoke with lead North Korean delegate Kim Kye Gwan.

“I don’t think the gaps are too wide to bridge,” said Chun after the meeting.  “We only need more time and efforts.  I believe the North is also willing to resolve the issue” (Agence France-Presse I/Straits Times, Feb. 21).

The session followed a Wednesday meeting between Kim and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill in which Hill vowed to deliver on U.S. promises.

“We made clear that we are committed to following through on our obligations and that they should know that,” he told reporters.  “As they do their obligations, we will do ours.”

Hill described some concerns he had heard from North Korean officials about the U.S. refusal to accept a North Korean declaration of its nuclear activities.

“From the D.P.R.K.’s point of view, they are always concerned that when they tell us something, what they tell us will always be followed by additional questions,” he said.  “I want to assure them that, yes, there will be additional questions, but not an infinite number of questions.”

Of particular U.S. concern are suspicions that North Korea is concealing uranium enrichment activities with equipment purchased on the black market.

“What I wanted to encourage Mr. Kim to understand is that, as they take steps to show us that they are not using the equipment for uranium enrichment, those will be considered positive steps,” said Hill.

He expressed hope that unusual visit by the New York Philharmonic to North Korea next week would build good will.

“Sometimes the North Koreans don’t like our words.  Maybe they’ll like our music,” he said (Korea Herald I, Feb. 21).

Hill’s trip to Northeast Asia this week was made in part to pave the way for a visit next week by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, but experts suggested that she would not end the current deadlock because Hill had reported no progress on the uranium issue.

“If the U.S. and Chris Hill [have not] heard more than that privately, then it is hard to see at this stage how they’re going to reach any breakthroughs during the secretary’s visit,” said Robert Einhorn of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (Agence France-Presse II, Feb. 21).

Meanwhile, North Korea has stepped up military exercises early this year, the Korea Herald reported today.  The drills included flights by nuclear-capable IL-28 bomber aircraft, according to the Herald (Korea Herald II, Feb. 22).

Back to top
About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines © Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.