NORTH KOREA NEWSLETTER NO. 168

(July 28, 2011) *** TOPIC OF THE WEEK Koreas Agree to Resume Six-party Talks, but High Hurdles Remain SEOUL (Yonhap) -- After years of tension, the Korean Peninsula is now witnessing new signs of hope for the resumption of the stalled six-party talks on ending North Korea's nuclear programs. In a rare move last week, South and North Korea held talks at a regional forum in Indonesia to seek a breakthrough for peace and denuclearization, but many challenges remain. The nuclear envoys of the two Koreas held the bilateral talks that Seoul has demanded as one of the conditions for restarting broader six-party nuclear talks. The rare meeting in Bali, Indonesia, sparked a chain reaction of diplomatic contacts thereafter, including a trip to the United States by a top North Korean diplomat. And this week, North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan, who used to be the North's top nuclear envoy for years, is now in New York at America's invitation for highly unusual talks with U.S. officials. The nuclear envoys of South and North Korea met on the sidelines of an Asian security conference in the Indonesian resort island of Bali on July 22. The meeting was their first since the last round of the six-party talks was held in late 2008. The surprise meeting between Wi Sung-lac of South Korea and his newly appointed North Korean counterpart, Ri Yong-ho, provided a ray of hope for the future of the deadlocked six-party talks that also involve the U.S., China, Russia and Japan. International efforts to reopen the six-party talks have been complicated by the North's deadly military attacks on the South last year and its self-confessed uranium enrichment program. In the two-hour meeting, chief envoys of the two Koreas agreed to make joint efforts to resume the stalled six-party talks on ending the North's nuclear program "as soon as possible," Pyongyang's chief nuclear negotiator said on July 22. The agreement came after the meeting between South Korean chief nuclear negotiator Wi Sung-lac and his North Korean counterpart Ri Yong-ho on the sidelines of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Regional Forum (ARF) in Bali. The two sides also reaffirmed their willingness to implement the Sept. 19, 2005 statement in which the North agreed to give up its nuclear program, Ri said, adding the talks were held in a "frank and serious" mood. Wi echoed Ri's view, telling reporters, "I had a very constructive and useful conversation with my counterpart. We agreed to continue to make joint efforts in the process of negotiations for denuclearization." Their meeting was partly aimed at paving the way for a higher-level meeting between South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and his North Korean counterpart Pak Ui-chun in Bali. The inter-Korean dialogue in Bali is the fulfillment of the first of a three-stage approach being promoted by South Korea and its allies to reopen the six-party forum. The approach also calls for a direct U.S.-North Korea dialogue. The six-party nuclear disarmament talks produced key agreements in September 2005 and February 2007 but broke down as the North wiggled out of both agreements. In Bali, top diplomats from South Korea, the U.S. and Japan held a trilateral meeting to coordinate their joint strategy toward North Korea. The South Korean foreign minister, Kim, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto "welcomed" the rare inter-Korean talks on the North's nuclear programs. The three foreign ministers "welcomed the inter-Korean dialogue on denuclearization held in Bali" on July 22 and "emphasized that the inter-Korean dialogue should be a sustained process going forward," a joint statement said. The three nations "also agreed to continue efforts to dissuade North Korea from taking provocative actions, and to encourage the DPRK (North Korea) to take concrete steps to demonstrate a genuine commitment to denuclearization." "North Korea's uranium enrichment program must also be addressed in order to allow for the resumption of the six-party talks," it said. Until now, the North has refused to discuss its nuclear program one-on-one with South Korea as Pyongyang has so far used its nuclear weapons program as important leverage to improve ties with Washington. With the July 22 talks between Wi and Ri, Seoul and Pyongyang "took an important first step" under the three-step approach, a senior South Korean diplomat told Yonhap News Agency. "During the two-hour talks, the two sides discussed a wide range of issues," said the diplomat, who was involved in the talks. "I think that both sides ironed out some misunderstandings and built trust at the talks." Also on July 22, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi held talks and said the two sides would discuss their "mutual desire for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," Clinton told reporters before the start of their meeting. Yang said China, the U.S. and other six-party members "need to work together to promote a better atmosphere and good dialogue." Also in Bali on July 23, South Korean foreign minister said he agreed with his North Korean counterpart to work together for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. "During the brief meetings with Pak, I think that we built significant common understanding on joint efforts for denuclearization dialogues," Minister Kim told reporters as he wrapped up his schedules for the ASEAN Regional Forum. "We also shared views that the denuclearization talks should be led by South and North Korea," said Kim, declining to get into specifics of the discussions with Pak. The Kim-Pak contact came a day after the chief nuclear envoys from the two Koreas met for the first time since 2008. At the ASEAN forum on July 23, Hillary Clinton told reporters that she was "encouraged" by the surprise talks between Wi and Ri, but urged the North to show its genuine commitment to denuclearization ahead of the six-party talks. Clinton called for "North Korea to demonstrate a change in behavior, including ceasing provocative actions, taking steps toward irreversible denuclearization and complying with its commitments." At the end of the ARF on July 23, top diplomats from 26 countries and the European Union "welcomed" the Bali meeting between the chief nuclear envoys from the two Koreas and "expressed the hope that the inter-Korean dialogue should be sustained in the future." The top diplomats also expressed "concern" about the North's uranium enrichment activities and "called on the DPRK to comply fully with its international obligations and commitments, by abandoning all existing nuclear programs," the ARF statement said. Some analysts suspect that North Korea's decision to meet with South Korea over its nuclear program might have been motivated by its more urgent need to hold a direct dialogue with the U.S. The North had previously said that its nuclear program was none of South Korea's business. "As North Korea got through the first hurdle of an inter-Korean dialogue, there is a high possibility that the North wants negotiations with the U.S.," said Jang Yong-seok, a senior North Korean analyst at Seoul National University. Jang said North Korea would probably come to the negotiating table with the issue of its uranium enrichment program if direct negotiations with the U.S. take place. Pyongyang claims the uranium enrichment program is for peaceful energy development, but outside experts believe it will give the country a new source of fission material to make atomic bombs, in addition to its widely known plutonium-based nuclear weapons program. Also, other analysts believe the North's revelation of potential progress toward the uranium enrichment program appeared to be aimed at bolstering its bargaining position if the six-party talks resume. The six-party talks produced some agreements in 2005 and 2007, but little follow-up actions have been taken. Despite the deals, North Korea conducted two nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009. In Seoul on July 26, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said South Korea will continue to seek "principled dialogue" with North Korea to break the deadlock in their relations, according to a senior presidential aide. Lee's remark appears to mean that the South will engage North Korea in talks, but genuine reconciliation with the communist nation would be out of question unless Pyongyang takes responsibility for last year's two deadly attacks on the South. "The remark means by itself that we will engage in inter-Korean dialogue while sticking to our principles," according to senior presidential spokesman Kim Du-woo. "There is no way to keep the principles without holding any dialogue at all, and we cannot stick to dialogue by giving up principles." Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department emphasized on July 25 that this week's talks with North Korea in New York are just to see whether it is prepared for full-fledged negotiations on denuclearization. "We see this as a preliminary session where we're going to lay out very clearly our expectations for what will be necessary to not only resume the six-party talks but to improve direct engagement between the U.S. and the DPRK," department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said at a press briefing. But North Korea's vice foreign minister was upbeat about talks with the U.S. and voiced optimism for improved ties between Pyongyang and Washington. "I believe North Korea-U.S. relations will improve as now is the time for all countries to reconcile," Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan told reporters as he arrived at John F. Kennedy Airport on July 26. He added, "I am optimistic of the prospects for the six-way talks and the North-U.S. relationship." Kim said he plans to meet with Stephen Bosworth, Washington's point man on Pyongyang, on July 28. It would be their first talks since Bosworth visited Pyongyang in December 2009. But he did not provide other details, including how long he will stay in the U.S. Kim is also reportedly scheduled to attend a forum organized by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP). The NCAFP refused to disclose the date and venue for it.