hankyoreh

By Park Byong-su, staff reporter and Seong Yeon-cheol, Beijing correspondent

China made a proposal to government officials and experts from the other members of the six-party talks (North and South Korea, the US, Japan, and Russia) to hold a “1.5 track” meeting in Beijing that would involve both the private and public sectors. This is being seen as an attempt to reenergize the six-party talks, which have not been held since 2008.

According to South Korean and Chinese diplomatic sources in Beijing on Sep. 5, China proposed holding an academic conference to be attended by government officials and academics from the countries taking part in the six-party talks. The conference will be held in Beijing on Sep. 18 to mark the eighth anniversary of the Sep. 19 joint statement, and it would be hosted by the China Institute of International Studies, which is think tank operated by China’s Foreign Ministry.

The proposal was communicated to government officials and civilian experts in South Korea and the other countries at the end of August. It was reported that Ri Yong-ho, North Korean Foreign Minister and leader of the North’s delegation to the six-party talks, was invited to attend.

China held a similar event in Beijing in Sep. 2011, which it called the Six-Party Talks International Seminar Commemorating the Release of the Sep. 19 Joint Statement. China used this event to stimulate dialogue with North Korea.

Three days after attending the former event, Ri Yong-ho met with Wi Sung-lac, then chief of the South Korean peace and negotiations center for the Korean Peninsula, and discussed conditions for reopening the six-party talks.

Nevertheless, it is difficult to say with certainty whether this event will serve to reignite or spur dialogue as the former one did.

In 2011, talks between North Korea and the US were already in full swing. US special envoy for North Korean affairs Stephen Bosworth and North Korean vice foreign minister Kim Kye-gwan had held one round of high-level talks in New York in Aug. 2011, and they were planning on holding a second round of talks in Geneva, Switzerland, in Oct. 2011.

But now, the diplomatic channels are blocked, and the US and South Korea have been much more suspicious of North Korea following its attempted rocket launch in Apr. 2012. This limits China’s ability to mediate between the two.

There are indications that members of the South Korean government are not all that happy about China’s proposal. The government is concerned that sitting down with North Korean leaders before North Korea takes steps to show its sincerity might seem like South Korea is endorsing the North’s calls for unconditional resumption of talks.

“Nothing has been decided yet,” a senior government official said on condition of anonymity. “We are reviewing whether or not to participate.”

Another senior official went into more detail. “It would be difficult for South Korea to flat out reject China’s proposal,” the official said on condition of anonymity. “We would probably have to discuss this with the US and other countries, but I understand that one option is sending lower ranking officials to take part in the conference.”

As for the civilian experts, Yonsei University professor Moon Chung-in and Lee Hee-ok, a professor at Sungkyunkwan University, have been invited and are planning to attend.

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