hankyoreh

a former United States Special Representative for North Korea policy

By Park Hyun, Washington correspondent

Stephen Bosworth, a former United States Special Representative for North Korea policy, said on Feb. 15 that the North Korean nuclear program should be addressed through a comprehensive approach instead of being treated as an isolated issue.

Bosworth’s comments came during a closed-door conference on North Korea policy held by Stanford University’s Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, headed by director Gi-wook Shin.

Bosworth also said he believed North Korea’s recent activities suggested that it was time for the US government to take the threat more seriously.

According to Bosworth, a comprehensive approach may include establishing a peace treaty on the Korean Peninsula to replace the armistice agreement, and conducting negotiations on energy and economic aid to North Korea.

Bosworth expressed skepticism about the effectiveness so-called “CVID” - complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization - approach favored by Washington and Seoul. In particular, he said the use of enriched uranium made it difficult to realistically verify whether North Korea had given up its program.

He added that Washington, Beijing, and Seoul should work together on coordinating a response to the nuclear issue, but said that their conflicting interests would put a drag on efficiency. In particular, the US is focused on preventing the North Korean nuclear program from expanding, while China is more concerned about preventing the Pyongyang regime’s collapse.

Bosworth went on to say that despite calls for China to use its position as North Korea’s only major ally as leverage, recent developments have shown the limits of its influence and suggest that hopes for a regime change in Pyongyang may be unrealistic.

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