Bill Richardson, the governor of the US state of New Mexico who just returned from a visit to North Korea at Pyongyang's invitation, says the North seemed more flexible about the issue of a light water reactor (LWR). According to him, the North has become more flexible about the timing of the provision of a LWR, and that it expressed a willingness to talk about having a third country handle it spent fuel rods. One might be able to interpret that as a sign that the North is going to devote itself to the peaceful use of nuclear technology. However, through its official media it has demanded of the US that it be given the same treatment and arrangements that "the nations that possess nuclear arms outside the nuclear non-proliferation treaty" have, making it hard to ascertain what its true intentions are.
The talk about how Christopher Hill, the top US delegate to the talks, has had to cancel a visit to Pyongyang ahead of the talks because of opposition from hard-liners in the US like Vice President Dick Cheney is also disappointing. The hard-liners demand that the North take visible action such as halting its reactor at Yongbyon, and of course are reportedly displeased about even discussing providing it with a LWR. If they gain a more influential voice, one that would seem to reject the joint statement that came out of the fourth round of six-party talks, then the prospects for the next round are going to be dark.
What is encouraging is China's active footwork. Li Bin, China's ambassador for Korean peninsula affairs, visited Pyongyang on October 18-20, and president Hu Jintao will visit October 28-30, only second time the Chinese leader goes there in approximately four years. We hope China and the North engage in deep discussion about a LWR and other issues relating to the nuclear problem. The South Korean government, for its part, needs to strengthen its leadership role so that the US and the North can take steps back and arrive at an agreement on implementation plans without great difficulty.
The Hankyoreh, 24 October 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection]