Work to restart the six-party talks began in full after the meeting in Pyongyang between Kim Jong Il and Chung Dong Young and is reaching its peak. It most important that North Korea and the United States open the last gateway with a more changed attitude and active effort.
Starting today Unification Minister Chung Dong Young will be meeting US Vice President Dick Cheney, State Secretary Condoleezza Rice, and National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley in Washington. The purpose of his visit is to convey directly to American leadership recent changes in North Korea's attitude and the South Korean government's thinking and effort. He will have to skillfully explain our government's assessment of what was discussed with Kim Jong Il and of North Korea's attitude, so that the US might share that assessment. He needs to change the negative understanding of North Korea by the hard-liners in the US administration who led by Cheney, so that he may use his visit as a chance to increase confidence between the North and the US.
Even more notable is that Ri Gun, the North's deputy chief delegate to the six-party talks and the director of American affairs at its foreign ministry, is visiting New York on Thursday. The main purpose of his visit is to attend an international conference, but it is highly likely he will have substantial discussion with a high-ranking US official about re-opening the talks. When that happens the North needs to be specific about its intention to return to the talks and the US has to be clear about its intention to respect the North's government. There has to be concrete discussion so that when Rice visits Korea, China, and Japan early next month, meetings are more complete.
If this critical point is not handled properly the work of restarting the six-party talks could again run into difficulty. That is why it is important that a date is set quickly. Our government needs to make sure the current trend is not frustrated and it must formulate a concrete proposal and create the right mood so as to have the talks start again and produce actual results.
The Hankyoreh, 29 June 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] NK, US at Critical Point in Starting 6-Party Talks |
