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Joseph Yun

Joseph Yun, the senior US representative for North Korea Policy, said a “60-day plan” for dialogue with Pyongyang is still valid. The message comes amid a mixture of hardline and more moderate positions on Pyongyang within the Trump administration since North Korea’s ICBM test launch on Nov. 29.

Speaking to foreign correspondents at a Dec. 7 end-of-year gathering jointly organized in Washington, D.C., by the Korea Foundation and George Washington University Institute for Korean Studies, Yun said Washington could attempt dialogue if 60 days pass without nuclear and missile provocations after a message from Pyongyang that it intends to stop. The 60-day plan, also known as the “Tillerson plan,” is an exit strategy for dialogue developed with the support of both Yun and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

“Regarding 60 days or any number of days…Secretary Tillerson has made it clear that a good first step for North Korea would be to stop testing nuclear devices and missiles. And then we are open to holding a dialogue," Yun said during the lecture.

“When you stop testing, for example, you really ought to tell us you are stopping testing because you want a dialogue… It's very important to state your intentions,” Yoon emphasized.

“So far, I can report no real progress on diplomatic engagement. So really… there is no choice but continued pressure policies."

But US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert expressed a somewhat different perspective during the daily press briefing on Dec. 7. When asked about remarks by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that North Korea wants direct talks with the US about its security, Nauert said, “As a general matter the issue of direct talks with North Korea is not on the table until they are willing to denuclearize.”

By Yi Yong-in, Washington correspondent

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