hankyoreh

Han Song-ryol, North Korea’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said Thursday in New York that the United States has to unfreeze North Korean funds it has blocked in a Macao bank for his country to return to the six-party talks.

In an interview with The Hankyoreh, Ambassador Han said North Korea would be able to stop "defensive" missile launch tests if there were first a restoration of confidence between Pyongyang and Washington, and that releasing North Korean money currently frozen in a bank located in Macao would be a sign of that confidence. He said also that the invitation to visit extended to Christopher Hill, top U.S. negotiator at the six-party talks and assistant secretary of state, remains open.

Ambassador Han’s comments can be seen as more to-the-point than the more flexible tone of the statement made on June 1 by the North Korean foreign ministry statement, in which it first invited Hill to visit Pyongyang. While his comments may not mean an entirely different approach for North Korea, they are notable in that they express a continued desire for dialogue with the U.S. even after launching a series of missiles.

The following is a partial text of the interview.

Hankyoreh: Are the test launchings related to the six-party talks?

Han: No.

Hankyoreh: What, then, are North Korea’s conditions for returning to the talks?

Han: The United States at least needs to lift its freeze of funds in [Banco Delta Asia of] Macao. That is a minimum condition. The freeze needs to be lifted so as to remove an obstacle that has been formed.

Hankyoreh: Would it be enough to have bilateral dialogue with North Korea within the framework of the six-party talks?

Han: Releasing the money in Macao would make bilateral contact meaningful.

Hankyoreh: Why is ending the action against the bank in Macao so important?

Han: It is not just about the money. It is a question of whether the United States has the will to coexist with us, whether it has a desire to resolve issues through negotiation, or whether it is going to unilaterally force us to give up our nuclear programs. The joint statement issued in Beijing on September 19 of last year contains two things. One is that we discard our nuclear weapons programs. The other is that the U.S. is to discard its antagonist policy towards [North] Korea and move towards normalizing relations. However, as soon as that joint statement was announced, the U.S. went about enacting financial sanctions. It thinks it can make us come out with our hands up if pressured, but that is a mistake.

Hankyoreh: What will your response be if the United Nations Security Council adopts a resolution on the North Korean regime?

Han: There would be stronger physical measures taken.

Hankyoreh: Would that include a nuclear test?

Han: I am going to avoid comment on that. Everyone can understand that as he so desires.

Hankyoreh: These days there are calls in the U.S. for "five-party talks" that exclude the North. Any comments?

Han: Our position is that it should go ahead and try if it thinks it can achieve non-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula while excluding us.

Hankyoreh: Is the invitation extended to Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill still valid?

Han: It is still valid. It would be advantageous in accurately understanding the U.S. position and advantageous in accurately conveying our position. Having Hill visit is better than if he does not.

Hankyoreh: Why fire missiles at a time like this?

Han: We need to consistently strengthen our national defense capabilities if we are going to be prepared for the ever-increasing American military threat. Part of that involves test firing missiles. If the U.S. no longer seeks the collapse or change of our government, we would have no need to go about such intense training.