hankyoreh

The foreign ministers of the nations participating in the six-party talks met yesterday in Singapore on the occasion of the ASEAN Regional Forum. It is the first time the six foreign ministers have meet since the six-party process began five years ago. These were unofficial talks, but the meeting was significant nevertheless for elevating the discussion to a higher level.

The first significance of the meeting is that it provides momentum that will contribute to the smooth fulfillment of the agreement that came from the six-party talks of July 12. At the time, the top six-party delegates agreed to the establishment of a verification regime for Pyongyang’s declaration of its nuclear past and present, and the agreement has to be carried out in full in order to move beyond the “second phase” of denuclearization and enter the “third phase,” when the North’s nuclear capabilities are to be done away with for good. The United States says there has to be a verification regime in place before August 11 for it to take action in response, such as removing North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. The foreign ministers meeting will contribute to assuring the timetable is maintained.

The meeting was meaningful also in that created an atmosphere for genuine discussion on the establishment of a peace regime for Northeast Asia. There is no multi-party security organization in the region, so having the six foreign ministers in one palace to talk about the security agenda shows you one direction the six-party talks are heading. The discussion on a peace regime will come to cover more specifics if official ministers talks are held and when there is progress on the North Korean nuclear issue. Furthermore, the issue of a peace regime for the Korean peninsula is now something that belongs to the immediate agenda because its establishment, which would involve the participation of North and South Korea, the United States, and China, is central to the establishment of a peace regime for the Northeast Asian region and is one of the conditions for final resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue.

Right now the two countries approaching the six-party talks most proactively are North Korea and the United States. The Bush administration is showing its interest in making considerable progress on the “third phase,” even though its time in office comes to an end in just under six months. Pyongyang is working hard to increase the pace with which relations with the United States are improved. Our government, on the other hand, only cries out for the abolition of Pyongyang’s nuclear capabilities. It is doing nothing in the way of playing a leadership role on the issue. If this continues into the third phase, it is likely that South Korea will be pushed to the margins even within the six-party framework.

The government immediately needs to do two things. First, it needs to stop depending on other countries and grow its own independent planning and implementation abilities. It was inappropriate for it to have brought up the issue of the shooting death of a South Korean tourist at Mount Geumgang, an issue between the North and South, when the six-party talks themselves need to be the focus. Even more importantly, it needs to be improving inter-Korean relations. Disregarding agreements between the heads of state in Seoul and Pyongyang is wrong, especially as far as making progress at the six-party talks is concerned.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]