Subscribe
E-Paper
 |
| President Moon Jae-in's new national security adviser Suh Hoon, right, talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun during a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, July 9. Yonhap |
US reaffirms willingness for talks with North Korea
By Do Je-hae
With the U.S. reaffirming its willingness for talks with North Korea, all eyes are on whether Pyongyang will step back from its hostile stance and come back to negotiations over sanctions relief for denuclearization.
Washington's renewed efforts to resume talks are seen as a move to coordinate the conditions for a balanced agreement that is conducive to peace on the Korean Peninsula
U.S. Special Representative Stephen Biegun underlined that in order for the talks to move forward, North Korea must come to the negotiating table with a new way of thinking rather than focusing "only on the negatives and what is impossible."
"When Chairman Kim appoints a counterpart to me, who is prepared and empowered to negotiate on these issues, they will find us ready at that very moment," Biegun said, Wednesday during a three-day visit to Seoul, according to a statement from the U.S. Embassy. "Dialogue can lead to action, but action is impossible without dialogue."
The remarks came after North Korea issued statements on the occasion of Biegun's visit saying it would not sit down for face-to-face talks with the U.S.
Despite the North pouring cold water on denuclearization talks, Biegun's remarks are seen as suggesting that the U.S. will embrace talks with Pyongyang. Even U.S. President Donald Trump, up for reelection amid the COVID-19 epidemic, has shown some interest in talking to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un again, according to the latest reports.
In a recent interview with Gray Television, Trump underlined his "very good relationship" with the North Korean leader and that he would "certainly" be up for another summit with him.
"I understand they want to meet and we would certainly do that," Trump was quoted as saying in the interview. "I would do it if I thought it was going to be helpful."
Seoul is also set on doing all it can to mediate another summit between the North Korea and the U.S. before the election in November. In particular, President Moon Jae-in is eager to achieve a visible outcome in his peace process and has openly said, during a recent teleconference with EU leaders, that he will support another meeting between the leaders of North Korea and U.S.
Some experts have said the prospects for talks to resume among the two Koreas as well as the U.S. and North Korea are starting to look up after the recent reshuffle of Moon's senior leadership dealing with North Korea. As head of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), Moon nominated Park Jie-won, a former negotiator for the 2000 summit between then-President Kim Dae-jung and then-North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the father of Kim Jong-un.
Moon also appointed former NIS chief Suh Hoon, who also has a wealth of experience in North Korea affairs, as his national security adviser. Suh played an instrumental role in arranging the three summits between Moon and Kim Jong-un in 2018.
"The North Koreans will have a certain level of expectations in the new appointments as the two people were involved with the June 15 declaration from the 2000 summit as well as the April 27 agreement from the first summit between Moon and Kim Jong-un," Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, told The Korea Times.
Before leaving for Japan, Thursday afternoon, Biegun stopped by Cheong Wa Dae to meet with Suh. He reiterated the U.S. position to support continued dialogue with North Korea.
"The two sides shared their assessment of recent developments related to North Korea and discussed ways to advance the peace process on the Korean Peninsula," the presidential office said in a statement after the Suh-Biegun meeting earlier in the day. "Deputy Secretary Biegun emphasized the importance of resuming dialogue between North Korea and the U.S. and agreed to maintain close cooperation with South Korea."
