[Editorial] North Korea’s letter: Request for negotiations

Posted on : 2009-09-05 12:49 KST Modified on : 2009-09-05 12:49 KST

North Korea sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Friday in which it criticized international sanctions and announced its intentions to improve its nuclear capabilities. Although it cannot be interpreted as a new provocation, we feel regret over any possible negative effects it may have on resuming negotiations. We are especially concerned about the effect of North Korea’s declaration, “We are in the last stages of uranium enrichment.”

This letter was a response to the UNSC’s request for an explanation about the fact that a North Korean ship was detained by the United Arab Emirates because of weapons on board. In this letter, North Korea fails to recognize UNSC resolutions related to sanctions. Moreover, North Korea focuses on direct negotiations with the U.S. by saying, “The denuclearization of the Korea Peninsula is closely related to the U.S.’s nuclear policy on the Korean Peninsula.” This can be interpreted to mean that North Korea has made it clear that it will counter sanctions by improving its nuclear capability, but hopes for dialogue with the U.S. The attitude of the letter is in line with its recent behavior to improve the environment for negotiations with South Korea and the U.S.

There is no precedent for evaluating North Korea’s recent moves, including the content of this letter, either pessimistically or optimistically. In addition, we believe no country thinks that the matter can be solved by sanctions alone, and the resumption of negotiations regarding the nuclear issue is not going to be easy. As a result, there seems to be no other way but to find a new frame for negotiations and talks while sanctions are in place. During this process, every country involved should restrain from provoking each other.

What is critical now is the creation of an effective negotiation framework in order to completely resolve the nuclear issue while controlling for factors of conflict. The U.S. and China talks have demonstrated these efforts, and U.S. special envoy for North Korea Stephen Bosworth’s visit to Seoul on Saturday can be seen as connected.

The problem facing us now is speed and depth. It has been two months since the U.S. appointed Kurt Campbell as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and his announcement that preparations of a “comprehensive package” for North Korea were underway.

Matters could proceed on a positive note once dialogue begins, however, further delay could have a negative effect. Every participating country should work with this in mind and stop waiting for a better environment to emerge. The South Korean government should make be making an effort to speed up dialogue as a matter of the highest priority.

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

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