hankyoreh

Director General of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau

By Park Hyun, Washington correspondent

A senior government official indicated on Apr. 9 that Seoul plans to push for resuming dialogue with Pyongyang regardless of the progress with the “preliminary denuclearization measures” it has been demanding with Washington and Tokyo.

The official, who is currently visiting Washington in connection with talks between senior representatives for South Korea, the US, and Japan at the six-party talks, told the Hankyoreh that there was “no real need for us to say that such-and-such abstract conditions we present have to be met before we can start negotiations with North Korea.”

“While there are definite sanctions in place, we can just work on bringing North Korea to the negotiations table, with the six-party talks or whatever, and find out what their attitude is,” the official said on condition of anonymity. “If possible, we ought to look for ways where the International Atomic Energy Agency can enter [North Korea].”

The official went on to say that “the possibility [of results] is zero if we don’t talk to Pyongyang.”

“We need to say something and find out whether North Korea is prepared to do that or what it’s asking for,” the official said. “That’s what we would need to open up a wider range of possibilities.”

This new approach marks a step forward from the day before, when a South Korean official recommended thinking “more flexibly” about the preliminary denuclearization steps needed from Pyongyang. It’s a sign that Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo may be backing down from their previous position - holding that dialogue with North Korea would only be possible if it takes preliminary steps to show it is “sincere” about denuclearizing - and choosing instead to initiate dialogue and see if a solution can’t be found there.

But the same official drew the line at the idea of giving North Korea money in exchange for agreeing to dialogue, indicating instead that there would be a “process of examining specific approaches.”

On the reason for this policy change, the official explained, “At the moment, we’re continuing to impose sanctions, but we’re not really confident in how they’re working, and we can’t just say that North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities are growing by the day.”

When asked about the possibility of holding preliminary talks with North Korea before an official resumption of the six-party talks to sound out Pyongyang’s position, the official said that may be one of the several options under consideration.

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