hankyoreh

US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun and Lee Do-hoon, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, talk to the press after their meeting at the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 8. (photo pool)

While visiting South Korea after half a year’s absence, US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said, “The United States strongly supports inter-Korean cooperation, and we believe this plays an important component in creating a more stable environment on the Korean Peninsula.”

While Biegun, the US’ special representative for North Korea, didn’t send Pyongyang a forward-looking message, the fact that he emphasized the importance of inter-Korean cooperation over denuclearization suggests a subtle shift in Washington’s attitude.

“We look forward to fully supporting the government of the Republic of Korea as it advances its goals with North Korea in inter-Korean cooperation,” Biegun told reporters following a discussion with Lee Do-hoon, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs. Biegun and Lee’s meeting took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 8, the day after Biegun’s arrival.

There had been considerable interest in whether Biegun’s message to North Korea would address North Korea’s actual demands, such as sanctions relief, but there was no groundbreaking message. Even so, Biegun’s remarks on Wednesday differed from the US government’s repeated emphasis that inter-Korean cooperation must keep pace with progress toward denuclearization. Biegun made no mention of the catchphrases “complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization (CVID)” or “final and fully verified denuclearization (FFVD) .”

“We had an in-depth discussion about ways to facilitate [North Korea-US] dialogue at an early date in light of the present situation. Biegun reconfirmed his flexibility on achieving balanced agreements when dialogue resumes with North Korea,” Lee Do-hoon said in a press conference on Wednesday.

The North Korea-US summit in Hanoi in February 2019 ruptured when the US refused to accept Pyongyang’s demand for sanctions relief in exchange for the complete dismantlement of its Yongbyon nuclear complex, insisting that the North take additional steps toward denuclearization. Lee’s account of Biegun’s remarks suggests that the US no longer intends on making unilateral demands for denuclearization in its negotiations with the North. The resumption of dialogue will likely depend on whether the US will convey a concrete plan to North Korea through the New York channel or through behind-the-scenes contact and whether the North will respond positively to that plan.

Responding to the North Korean Foreign Ministry’s statement that the North doesn’t intend to sit down with the US, Biegun said that “we did not request a meeting with the North Koreans.” His remark basically expresses Washington’s irritation that North Korea issued such a harsh rejection of talks that the US hadn’t even proposed. Biegun went on: “I do not take my direction from Vice Minister Choi Son Hui, nor from Ambassador John Bolton.” Choi is North Korea’s vice foreign minister, and Bolton is the former White House national security advisor who recently published a memoir with scathing depictions of US President Donald Trump.

“Both are locked in an old way of thinking, focused on only the negatives and what is impossible, rather than thinking creatively about what is possible,” Biegun said in a separate statement published by the US Embassy to South Korea on Wednesday afternoon.

“I take my guidance from the conclusions of the several meetings that President Trump and Chairman Kim have had over the last two years. Their vision is what guides our team,” Biegun said.

Biegun also obliquely expressed his hope that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would appoint someone else to lead the two countries’ working-level talks. “When Chairman Kim appoints a counterpart to me, who is prepared and empowered to negotiate on these issues, they will find us ready at that very moment,” he said.

After paying a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Wednesday morning, Biegun met with Vice Foreign Minister Cho Sei-young for the eighth round of South Korea-US strategic dialogue. During their meeting, Biegun and Cho shared their views about the two countries’ stalled negotiations over defense cost-sharing and about a US proposal for adding more countries to the G7 meeting.

By Noh Ji-won, staff reporter

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