hankyoreh

David Kang

David Kang, director of the Korean Studies Institute at the University of Southern California, thinks that this is the time for the US, and not North Korea, to give ground in their negotiations.

“The US needs to put forward something symbolic in order to show it’s willing to meet North Korea,” Kang said.

Kang submitted an op-ed to the New York Times back in August calling on the Trump administration to take action, and since then, he’s said, “the situation has remained unchanged to a monotonous degree.”

The Hankyoreh interviewed Kang at the office of the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Dec. 7 while he was in Washington, DC, for an event.

Hankyoreh (Hani): It’s been six months since the first North Korea-US summit, and dialogue seems to have stalled. The high-level talks aren’t moving forward, for example.

David Kang (Kang): The key is what the US brings to the table. North Korea has taken a number of steps – it’s declared the suspension of its missile and nuclear weapon tests, detonated its nuclear test site at Punggye Village, and repatriated the remains of US soldiers. In contrast, all the US has done is suspend its joint military exercises with South Korea. The US needs to do something, even if it’s only symbolic, to show that it’s willing to meet North Korea halfway.

Hani: What kind of action could the US offer North Korea?

Kang: One option would be an end-of-war declaration, but there’s plenty that the US can do without losing face. The US has put limitations on humanitarian aid to North Korea, and it would be good to remove those. It could also lift the ban on travel to North Korea or ease enough sanctions to let the Kaesong Industrial Complex reopen. I’m not sure if Trump is ready to take those measures, but if I were advising him, I’d tell him he needs something to give North Korea.

Hani: Why do you think North Korea is being so cagey and not attending the high-level talks?

Kang: The pace of developments this year has been so fast. North Korea held three summits with the South and one with the US. Right about now, they’re probably taking stock of how far they’ve come. While Kim Jong-un has a firm grasp on North Korea, there’s probably an internal debate about their next step. In terms of domestic politics, Kim has to make sure everyone is in the same boat. The US needs to give Kim something to work with so he can tell the North Korean hardliners, “See, we’re both taking one step at a time.”

Hani: Do you think that Kim is willing to giving up nuclear weapons?

Kang: No, but I do think he’s willing to walk down that road. The “final and fully verified denuclearization” that the US wants is very unlikely to be realized. Even if North Korea brings in international inspectors and lets them open every cupboard, people won’t believe it and will assume there are hidden some nukes somewhere. At the same time, North Korea would still have researchers who could develop nuclear weapons once again. But if the North walks down the road toward denuclearization, it will become a more open, free and prosperous country and it will form stable ties with the world.

Hani: If you could give any advice to Kim, what would it be?

Kang: I’d like him to let international inspectors observe the dismantlement of the Yongbyon nuclear facility and submit a list of some of his nuclear facilities. I’d like for him to do something along these lines during his second summit with Trump and for the US to take corresponding measures.

Hani: There’s a lot of interest in Kim paying a reciprocal visit to Seoul.

Kang: Any kind of “shuttle diplomacy” is positive, since the more that Kim meets Moon and Trump, the more involved they get with each other. The chronological sequence of the second North Korea-US summit and Kim’s reciprocal visit to Seoul isn’t a big deal.

By Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent

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