Posted on : Mar.9,2006 00:08 KST
North Korea is reported to have proposed the creation of an "extraordinary consultative body on financial issues" at a meeting with U.S. officials in New York the other day, and the U.S. is reported to have not been against the idea. That is welcome progress. One hopes to see it lead to a resolution of the conflict over counterfeiting and financial sanctions and to the reopening of the six party talks.
The North's attitude is considerably more flexible, compared to the flat denials it had been making so far, as it now says it will take appropriate action if the Americans provide them with information about the counterfeiting and money laundering. It appears to be trying to strengthen its position by creating a channel for direct dialogue. It also said it will return to the six party talks if the U.S. removes sanctions on Banco Delta Asia. That is an extension of its earlier line - that it will not return to the talks as long as American pressure continues - but you can see that the weight of its emphasis is gradually moving towards restarting the talks.
The ball is back in the American side of the court. It should have no reason to refuse the North's proposal, since it has long said that sanctions against North Korea are a matter of self-defense, of defending its financial system. In terms of effectiveness as well, it would be far better to encourage concrete action through that kind of consultative format instead of demanding the North's "surrender." The process would contribute to greater mutual confidence. And aside from creating a structured framework for dialogue, it would also wash away suspicions that the U.S. has put financial sanctions in place in order to achieve regime change in Pyongyang.
The counterfeiting issue has become more complicated that it might have otherwise because of the profound distrust that exists between Pyongyang and Washington. As long as North Korea believes the United States is going to switch from issue to issue as pressures it around, it will be hard to resolve even the counterfeiting issue, never mind the six party talks. We hope to see both sides use this opportunity to surmount the wall of distrust and follow a path to resolving the nuclear issue.
The Hankyoreh, 9 March 2006.
[Translations by
Seoul Selection]
