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The Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue in Seoul in Oct. 2010

Chief and vice negotiators from the countries participating in the Six-Party Talks on North Korea’s nuclear program have gathered in Beijing, China, to attend the Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue from June 22 to June 23. The dialogue is organized by the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation at the University of California.

The officials attending the dialogue, which kicked off on June 21 with a welcome dinner, are Kim Kun, South Korea’s vice negotiator for the six-party talks and chief of planning for the North Korean nuclear program and diplomacy for its Foreign Ministry; Sung Kim, the US‘s chief negotiator and special envoy for North Korea policy; Wu Dawei, China’s chief negotiator and special representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs; Oleg Davydov, Russia’s vice negotiator and ambassador-at-large for its Foreign Ministry; and Kenji Kanasugi, Japan’s chief negotiator and Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau for its Foreign Ministry.

The dialogue, which was launched in 1993 to promote multilateral security cooperation after the Cold War, is a “1.5-track” public and private sector forum in which government officials and civilian researchers attend seminars. It is also called the “mini six-party talks” since it is also attended by negotiators for the talks from the participating countries.

Notably, North Korean officials are attending this event, the first time they have done so since 2012, before the third and fourth nuclear weapons tests. Choe Son-hui, North Korea’s vice negotiator for the talks and deputy director for North American affairs at its Foreign Ministry, arrived in Beijing on June 20.

But South Korea, the US and Japan are shutting the door on the possibility of dialogue with North Korea.

“I have no plans to meet [with the North Korean official],” Kim told reporters at Beijing Capital International Airport on June 21. Kanasugi made similar remarks. “I’m not planning to make any contact with the North Koreans,” he said. The US State Department also said in its press briefing on June 20 that it had no plans to meet with North Korean officials.

These responses reflect Seoul, Washington and Tokyo’s current position that Pyongyang, which is currently under sanctions, must show its willingness to denuclearize before dialogue can take place.

“After the session about the North Korean nuclear program is over, the Chinese officials are all planning on leaving the meeting, so it doesn’t look like there will be a chance for any separate dialogue between North Korea and China, either,” one diplomat said.

By Kim Oi-hyun, Beijing correspondent

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