hankyoreh

US State Department Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun attends a commemorative event for South Korea’s Armed Forces Day and National Foundation Day at the residence of the South Korean Ambassador in Washington on Oct. 2. (Hwang Joon-bum

With North Korea and the US expected to begin working-level talks on denuclearization this weekend, a US news outlet is reporting that the US has come up with a negotiation plan that involves temporarily suspending sanctions on North Korean coal and textile exports in exchange for dismantlement of the North’s Yongbyon nuclear complex plus “something extra.” It was not confirmed how seriously the US administration is actually considering the plan.

Quoting “two sources familiar with the [North Korea-US] negotiations,” the online news site Vox reported on Oct. 2 that the US’ plan involves the United Nations “suspend[ing] sanctions on Pyongyang’s textile and coal exports for 36 months in exchange for the verifiable closure of the Yongbyon nuclear facility and another measure, most likely the end of North Korea’s uranium enrichment.”

The Vox piece quoted experts calling the proposal a rational alternative to the US’ past calls for denuclearization ahead of any sanctions relief, which North Korea is unlikely to accept. At the same time, they noted that the plan poses the risk of North Korea continuing to improve its weapon capabilities during the three years that coal and textile exports are permitted. Noting that it was “unclear if North Korean negotiators will accept this offer,” the site suggested the US negotiators could use it as a jumping-off point to see how the North reacts. It also noted that the US side could change the details of the proposal before the negotiations begin.

A similar report citing a source “familiar with White House discussions” was also published in July. That report suggested that the US might suspend coal and textile export sanctions against North Korea from 12 to 18 months if the North proceeded with a dismantlement of its Yongbyon nuclear complex and a nuclear freeze. A US State Department spokesperson called the report “completely false.”

Responding to the Vox report, a Washington source called it “too far out there.” But an official at one think tank said there was “some possibility the US could propose something like that to North Korea,” adding that there “questions as to whether North Korea will agree to it.”

Vox also quoted two sources as saying US President Donald Trump promised two things when he met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at Panmunjom in late June: that he would sign a declaration ending the Korean War, and that he would cancel joint military exercises with South Korea, which were then scheduled to take place after the Panmunjom meeting the following August. But after the meeting in Panmunjom, Trump allowed the exercises to go ahead when advisors insisted they were only a very reduced-scale simulation. In July, a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused the US of “attempting to stage joint military drills ‘DongMaeng 19-2’ with South Korea, violating the commitment made at the top level.”

“It’s very possible the ‘top level’ refers to Trump,” the Vox report added.

Meanwhile, the US’ representative at the bilateral denuclearization talks, State Department Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, attended a commemorative event the same evening for Armed Forces Day and National Foundation Day at the residence of the South Korean Ambassador in Washington, but did not respond when asked by reporters during the weekend about the venue and agenda for the bilateral negotiations.

In a celebratory address, Biegun said the US had embarked on a grand diplomatic plan to achieve a new history for the Korean Peninsula, adding that it would bring permanent and lasting peace for its residents.

By Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent

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