Top UN official arrives in North Korea for four-day trip

Posted on : 2017-12-06 16:38 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
The UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs will meet with senior members of North Korean leadership
UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman shakes hands with an official from the North Korean Foreign Ministry following his arrival at the Sunan Airport in Pyongyang on Dec. 5. (AFP/Yonhap News)
UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman shakes hands with an official from the North Korean Foreign Ministry following his arrival at the Sunan Airport in Pyongyang on Dec. 5. (AFP/Yonhap News)

UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman, one of the organization’s top figures, arrived in North Korea on Dec. 5 for a four-day visit. Analysts predicted the visit by Feltman – the first by a top UN official in over six years – will contribute to relieving the recurring tensions surrounding the Korean Peninsula since North Korea’s launch of the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile on Nov. 29.

In a Dec. 4 press release, the UN said Feltman would be visiting North Korea from Dec. 5 to 8.

“Mr. Feltman will discuss with DPRK officials issues of mutual interest and concern,” the release said, adding that he would “meet with the United Nations Country Team and members of the diplomatic corps, as well as visit UN project sites pin North Korea].”

Feltman departed Beijing Capital International Airport at 3 pm on Dec. 5, traveling on an Air Koryo flight to Pyongyang with four to five other delegation members. The North Korean Central News Agency reported that “the delegation headed by UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman arrived in Pyongyang on Dec. 5,” but did not provide additional details.

UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman (provided by UN)
UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman (provided by UN)

The North Korea visit is the first by a senior UN figure in over six years. Previously, then-Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe visited in Feb. 2010, while Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) director Valerie Amos visited in Oct. 2011. The already rare visit is also the first by a senior UN official since Kim Jong-un took over as North Korean leader. The Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs is considered a key official even among other undersecretaries-general, as he or she oversees the UN’s mission of resolving conflicts in strife-ridden regions.

Feltman’s visit is especially significant in involving official discussions with Pyongyang. In a regular briefing, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Feltman was scheduled to meet with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho and Vice Foreign Minister Park Myong-guk. The discussions could be said to be significantly more formal and involve higher ranking figures than unofficial Track 1.5 dialogue, where North Korean officials have met unofficially with non-government-affiliated US experts.

Analysts took note of the fact that Feltman’s visit came at Pyongyang’s request, suggesting the North has begun seeking out exploratory dialogue. According to Dujarric, Feltman’s invitation was extended by North Korea during the UN General Assembly period in September, with the schedule finalized on Nov. 30.

The timing of the finalization of the visit more or less coincides with North Korea’s government statement issued at around noon on Nov. 29, claiming to have achieved the “completion of the state nuclear force” following the ICBM launch early that morning. The timing is consistent with analysts’ predictions that Pyongyang would attempt to pursue negotiations now that Kim’s so-called “two-track course” of nuclear and economic development is ostensibly complete.

“They’re starting to open the door to the outside at a very basic level,” a South Korean government official said on Dec. 5 of the North’s intentions.

Also of interest is the fact that Feltman’s visit reportedly received approval from or coordination with the Trump administration. When asked if the visit had been coordinated with the US, a UN source in New York City said, “Obviously, there were discussions with the relevant countries.”

“The countries involved all share an understanding of the need for communication channels with North Korea,” the source added. This suggests that despite US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley’s warning at a Nov. 29 Security Council emergency meeting that the North Korean regime would be “utterly destroyed” in the event of a war, the US administration also recognizes the need for at least a channel for dialogue with Pyongyang.

Feltman’s visit possesses some significance in view of its timing, coming six days after the ICBM launch. With some analysts claiming North Korea’s ICBMs are now theoretically capable of reaching as far as Washington, DC, tensions are high enough for some in the US to begin calling again for a preemptive strike. In that sense, most experts agreed the visit could contribute to lowering the peninsula’s tension index.

“It’s fair to say the Undersecretary-General is traveling there with the goal of reducing tensions,” a UN source said.

University of North Korean Studies professor Koo Kab-woo said Feltman’s visit “may allow North Korea to find some justification for abstaining from future military provocations.”

Feltman is a veteran diplomat who worked in the US State Department for 26 years, serving as US Ambassador to Lebanon and Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs before joining the UN as Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs in 2012. His experience is raising some hopes due to his diplomatic skill and experience. During the UNSC emergency meeting on Nov. 29, Feltman stressed the importance of “political solutions” in addressing the North Korean nuclear issue.

Predictions on whether his visit could lead to a breakthrough in dialogue on the nuclear issue were mixed. Koo predicted there would “messages from the US and South Korea” and said the visit “could be something that leads to dialogue.” But other observers said a single visit by a senior UN official is unlikely to set in motion a resolution on the nuclear issue, which involves complex competing interests among different countries.

In any case, it is not a bad thing to have the UN assigning itself a proactive role in a stalemate situation currently without suitable mediators. Depending on how Feltman’s visit turns out, a visit by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres may also be in the cards.

By Yi Yong-in, Washington correspondent and Kim Ji-eun, staff reporter

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