hankyoreh

BEIJING - Top U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill and his North Korean counterpart Kim Kye-gwan met in Beijing on February 19.

The meeting between the two nuclear envoys took place at a time when the six-party talks are at a standstill due to a controversy surrounding a delay in assistance promised to North Korea in return for the reclusive nation’s declaration of its nuclear arsenal, including its uranium enrichment program, or UEP. The last meeting between the two negotiators took place two and half months ago when Hill visited Pyongyang and delivered a letter from U.S. President George Bush. Immediately after arriving at an international airport in Beijing with Jung Tae-yang, vice director-general of the American bureau of the North Korean Foreign Ministry, Kim went to the North Korean Embassy in the Chinese capital city. The meeting was reported to have been coordinated in advance.

What Kim and Hill discussed was not immediately known, but it is presumed that they were unable to break the stalemate over Pyonyang’s declaration. A source who is familiar with the six-party talks noted that, realistically, there would be no breakthrough. Before meeting Kim, Hill repeatedly stressed the U.S. position, saying that North Korea should completely and thoroughly declare its nuclear programs. Hill is planning to meet with South Korea’s Foreign Minister Song Min-soon and top nuclear negotiator Chun Yung-woo today to discuss ways to ensure progress in the denuclearization process.

In the meantime, negotiators from the two Koreas and China will meet in Beijing on February 21-22 to discuss the issue of non-oil economic aid for North Korea, which is part of an agreement reached in October 2007.

North Korea was originally scheduled to disable its nuclear facilities by the end of 2007 and provide a declaration of its nuclear programs under a deal reached in February 2007 and involving the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States. Prior to the declaration deadline, the North informally submitted a list in November that it has said is complete, while the United States has continued to press for more information on the UEP, arguing that the list falls short of its expectations.

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