[Editorial] Hill Visit to North: Sooner The Better

The possibility that Christopher Hill, top US State Department negotiator at the six-party talks, will visiting Pyongyang is gradually becoming more of a reality. One hopes to see him visit North Korea soon, so as to promote mutual trust between the US and the North and to help resolve the light water reactor (LWR) issue.

The comments of North Korean vice foreign minister Choe Su Hon at the United Nations are encouraging. Saying the North would welcome a visit by Hill, he said the "demand for LWR support is not a condition for implementing the joint statement adopted at the six-party talks. That is much more flexible than the North's previous position, that there could be "no renouncement of the nuclear programs without LWR aid." If Hill goes to Pyongyang in the current mood and meets high-ranking officials to show them the US's desire to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and establishing diplomatic relations, then it will be possible to resolve the LWR issue without terrible difficulty even though it has been the greatest point of contention. Hill can be seen wanting to visit and the South Korean government has already informed the North of his desire to go.

The North sees the LWR as evidence that it has its right to the peaceful use of nuclear technology recognized and a "physical guarantee of the formation of mutual trust" between it and the US. As clearly stated in the joint statement from Beijing, the US respects the North's rights. That being the case the question then becomes one of how and where those rights are going to be guaranteed, and the concrete dialogue on that will invariably be determined largely by how much trust is established between the US and the North. That's what makes Hill's visit to Pyongyang so important. Furthermore the North is disappointed that the visit by US president Bill Clinton that almost took place 5 years ago never happened and it would like to see US-North Korean relations elevated to a higher level. Hill's visit would also be significant in that it would help prepare for that to happen.

His visit should take place as soon as possible, since the fifth round of six-party talks is scheduled for November. The South Korean government, meanwhile, needs to work to assure that the visit takes place.

The Hankyoreh, 24 September 2005.

[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]