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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at Vladivostok

On Apr. 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that a security guarantee for the North Korean regime would be necessary for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. During a solo press conference held after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vladivostok on Thursday, Putin said that “denuclearization means arms reduction by North Korea” and emphasized that “North Korea needs to have a guarantee for maintaining its sovereignty and its national security.”

It was unusual for Putin to openly mention a security guarantee for the North Korean regime as a prerequisite for denuclearization. Since Kim’s request for sanctions to be lifted in exchange for denuclearization measures during the second North Korea-US summit in Hanoi was not accepted, Kim may have turned to the fundamental issue of guaranteeing his regime’s security during the summit on Thursday. The next question is whether this issue will come up in future denuclearization talks between North Korea and the US. Putin added that if a guarantee from the US or South Korea was not adequate, the multilateral framework of the Six-Party Talks would be necessary.

“If our North Korean partners and particularly the Americans express their commitment to constructive dialogue, I think that the negotiations must ultimately take place. There is no other way,” Putin said in regard to the North Korea-US denuclearization talks.

“Kim Jong-un asked me to inform the Americans about his position, about the processes that are taking place on and around the Korean Peninsula, and about the issues that have occurred there,” Putin went on to say.

“We also engaged in dialogue about the construction of a gas line running through North Korea into South Korea. That is a project that corresponds to South Korea’s national interest as well,” Putin emphasized.

“We hope that railroads leading to Russia will be connected,” Putin remarked, referring to a proposed inter-Korean railroad link.

By Yoo Kang-moon, senior staff writer, and Noh Ji-won, staff reporter

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