hankyoreh

May 12

U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen Bosworth said Tuesday he would consider over the next couple of weeks whether to visit North Korea.

Before heading home from Tokyo at the end of his tour of South Korea, China and Japan, Bosworth was asked by a reporter whether he was thinking of visiting North Korea to talk with leaders there. He responded that this decision did not rest solely with the U.S., and was something that the U.S. would consider over the next couple of weeks.

He added that after he returns to Washington and talks with the relevant department and offices, he would proceed to continue to communicate with partner countries in Asia, either by phone or using other means of communication. Compared with his reserved responses on the matter during his visits to China and South Korea, where he said he had no plans to visit North Korea and that nothing had been decided, this is seen as a step forward.

Accordingly, it is expected that based upon securing an agreement of other six-party talk members during his tour of China, South Korea and Japan, and after discussions with North Korea-related departments within the U.S. administration, Bosworth will push a visit to North Korea. Particularly noteworthy is the time limit indicated by his reference of a “few weeks” that some experts interpret as meaning the U.S. will concentrate in earnest on resolving the North Korea issue. They suggest it means that since he cannot go to North Korea empty-handed, the U.S. will consider a general outline for a package of negotiations Bosworth might be able to put on the table when he sits down with North Korea.

However, when a high-ranking South Korean official was asked if one could view this as a sign the U.S. would actively move towards bilateral talks with North Korea, they responded with a negative. The official said that while Bosworth was conveying U.S.’s intentions towards North Korea, his comments were still just theoretical.

Overall, one cannot know whether North Korea will agree to a visit. Leaving aside the possible controversy over whether Bosworth, as a special envoy, ranks high enough and can satisfy a North Korea desirous of high-level talks, experts forecast that North Korea would likely decide to accept a visit after demanding to see first the kind and value of the package Bosworth is bringing to the table.

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