hankyoreh

WASHINGTON – U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Alexander Vershbow said his government will not remove North Korean from its list of nations suspected of sponsoring terrorism unless Pyongyang makes a full declaration of its nuclear weapons programs.

The remark was made in a forum held at the Korea Economic Institute in Washington on January 30. Vershbow also expressed his disappointment at North Korea’s failure to meet a year-end deadline to implement agreements reached at the six-party talks, a forum on the denuclearization of North Korea that also includes China, Japan, Russia and South Korea.

In response to idea that the U.S. government may gradually take steps to remove North Korea from the terrorism list, even if Pyongyang does not make a full declaration of its nuclear programs, Vershbow called it “idle speculation.” He said, “We will take as long as necessary … We are continuing to persevere.”

On February 1, Chun Young-woo, the South Korean chief negotiator in the six-party talks, said, “North Korea’s position is to declare the atomic materials (plutonium) that pose a threat to us. I think North Korea isn’t ready to make a full declaration of its nuclear programs,” Chun said at an international academic conference, which was held under the title “Reducing the Threat of WMD through the Global Partnership” in Seoul on February 1.

Chun’s remarks highlight North Korea’s reluctance to disclose information about an alleged uranium enrichment program, even as it has expressed its willingness to declare its plutonium program.

“If a light-water reactor isn’t offered, a (Phase Three) nuclear deal may not be implemented,” Chun said, referring to one of the possible steps that could be used to persuade North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons programs. “The light-water reactor will be provided if the denuclearization process nears its conclusion, and if North Korea returns to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and complies with the safety measures set by the International Atomic Energy Association,” Chun said.