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June 1. (Captured from the KCTV Yonhap)

By Kim Jong-chul, Senior Staff Writer

North Korea stated on June 1 that South Korea suggested an inter-Korean summit during secret talks in Beijing last month.

A spokesman for North Korea’s National Defense Commission (NDC) revealed, in the form of answers to questions from a reporter at the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) that he had had secret contact with Kim Chun-sig of the Ministry of Unification’s (MOU) Policy Office, Hong Chang-hwa of the National Intelligence Service and presidential security advisor Kim Tae-hyo, from May 9. The contact revealed by North Korea is thought to be the same as that made public by the office of the president on May 18, when it said, “The true intentions of President Lee Myung-bak’s statement in Berlin have been conveyed to North Korea.”

North Korea’s highly unusual revelation of secret contact with South Korea is being interpreted as a public expression of its intention to hold no further dialogue with the current South Korean government.

The previous day, North Korea said in a statement, “We will no longer associate with the South Korean government.”

One MOU official said, “These talks were aimed at solving the problem of the sinking of the Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island. What we were saying was that inter-Korean relations could be improved if these two problems were solved. It was not a formal suggestion of a summit meeting.”

With regard to the sinking of the Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island, the NDC spokesman claimed, “[South Korea] pleaded with us, saying, ‘Let’s at least come up with a compromise plan that looks like an apology in the eyes of South Korea, but not in the eyes of North Korea, and show it to the world. Please, make a concession.‘”

The spokesman continued, “[South Korea] begged us to take pity on its situation, saying that if we reached a compromise regarding the two incidents it could envisage a ministerial-level meeting around the second half of May to prepare for a summit meeting and proclaim an agreement. This would be followed by a first summit meeting at Panmunjom around the second half of June, a second summit meeting two months after that in Pyongyang, and a third summit meeting next March during the Nuclear Security Summit [in Seoul].”

When North Korea refused to apologize, the spokesman claimed, “[The South] asked us to at least ’express regret‘ for the two incidents, saying, ’Let‘s meet again in Malaysia and come together over this problem. And let’s move ahead quickly with the summit meetings.‘ They even offered us envelopes full of cash.”

North Korea’s revelation of secret inter-Korean talks is unprecedented. This means its actions are based on resolve.

Although presented in the form of answers to questions from a KCNA journalist, revelations of secret matters such as South Korea’s suggestions and the envelope of cash are being interpreted as a statement that the North will no longer engage in dialogue with South Korea. This represents a complete volte-face on the part of North Korea, after its attempts to improve relations with South Korea in various fields that practically amounted to a “dialogue offensive,” including the proposal of a summit meeting during former U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s visit in April this year.

North Korea shifted the blame for disclosure of the content of the secret talks onto South Korea.

“We had no choice but to reveal the truth,” North Korean officials said, after a spokesman of the South Korean president first stated, on May 19, that a secret meeting had taken place but gave a false account of its contents. This, however, has been widely considered nothing more than an excuse.

“[North Korea‘s] internal situation appears to be complicated but it is difficult to judge what its intention is,” said a government official with regard to the actual reason for North Korea’s disclosure.

A few assumptions, however, can be made.

First, there is the possibility of a backlash to the recent use of images of Kim Jong-il and his son, Kim Jong-un, as targets on a South Korean military firing range. The target practice incident was the direct cause of a statement issued by the NDC on May 30.

“It appears that North Korea has reached a final decision about South Korea‘s failure to abandon hostile policies toward it in terms of behavior even as it secretly suggests summit meetings,” said Professor Kim Yeon-cheol of Inje University. “It seems, in particular, that the use of the faces of Kim Jong-il and his son for target practice served as the last straw.”

Another factor may be expression of strong dissatisfaction at the Lee Myung-bak administration’s demands for apologies for the Cheonan and Yeonpyeong Island incidents as a condition for resuming inter-Korean dialogue and aid to North Korea.

North Korea may have made the judgment that it is preferable to adopt a stance of antagonism and dig in until the end of Lee‘s term in office than to improve relations after apologizing.

“Having already revealed its uranium enrichment facilities, North Korea probably thinks time is on its side even if the six-party talks do not resume,” said Professor Kim Keun-sik of Kyungnam University. “It appears that this decision was made straight after the last summit meeting between North Korea and China, and that North Korea has judged that it will be all right without support from South Korea.”

The vanished possibility of an improvement in inter-Korean relations means the prospects of improved ties between North Korea and the United States, and of resumption of the six-party talks, also appear dim for the time being. North Korea has refused the first stage of the three-stage framework effectively agreed by the parties to the six-party talks: inter-Korean dialogue, followed by North Korea-US dialogue, followed by six-party talks.

“North Korea seems to be asking the United States and China to proceed straight to the second stage, dialogue with the United States instead of the first stage, of which there is no prospect,” said former Vice Minister of Unification Rhee Bong-jo. “The most interesting question is how the United States, which is anxious for North Korea to abandon its nuclear program, will respond in a situation where there is no prospect of inter-Korean dialogue for the time being.”

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