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US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks at a forum sponsored by the Korea Foundation and the Atlantic Council called, “Reimagining the US-Republic of Korea Partnership in the Trans-Pacific Century,” in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 12. (AFP/Yonhap News)
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The US Secretary of State now says that North Korea, “will have to earn its way back to the table”
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced that the US would not accept the preconditions for resuming dialogue offered by North Korea, including reducing or suspending the South Korea-US joint military exercises. Considering that Tillerson has already indicated his willingness to engage in dialogue with the North “without precondition,” his reply seems to imply that, if the North wants to resume dialogue, it should not insist on preconditions, either. During a press conference following a ministerial meeting about nonproliferation and North Korea at the UN Security Council in New York on Dec. 15, Tillerson said that the US would not accept any preconditions for dialogue, including a “freeze-for-freeze,” the relaxation of sanctions against North Korea or the resumption of humanitarian aid. The “freeze-for-freeze” is the American expression for a Chinese proposal for the dual suspension of North Korea’s nuclear weapon and missile tests and South Korea and the US’s joint military exercises. This was the response Tillerson made to reporters who had asked whether North Korea giving up its nuclear weapon and missile programs remained the precondition for the US resuming dialogue, whether US President Trump shared Tillerson’s position about the possibility of beginning talks and, if so, when that should happen. North Korea has used the “1.5 track” talks between North Korean government officials and former US officials and academics and a recent visit to Pyongyang by UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman to stipulate that the conditions for resuming talks with the US are the reduction or suspension of South Korea-US joint military exercises, the relaxation of sanctions against the North and the resumption of humanitarian aid. Tillerson’s remarks rebutted these demands while also dodging the reporters’ questions. During his introductory remarks before the UN Security Council, Tillerson did not specifically mention the proposal he made last week for talks “without precondition.” “As I said earlier this week, a sustained cessation of North Korea’s threatening behavior must occur before talks can begin. North Korea must earn its way back to the table,” he said ambiguously. He did not mention North Korea expressing its willingness to denuclearize and taking meaningful action toward that end, which has been a key condition for the resumption of dialogue. During the forum that was held in Washington last week, Tillerson described that condition as “not realistic.” A creative interpretation of Tillerson’s remarks during the press conference and before the UN Security Council is that he was urging North Korea and the US not to place preconditions on exploratory dialogue. But such an interpretation is uncertain because the remarks also serve to mollify criticism from various sectors about his call for talks without precondition. AFP reported that Tillerson’s prepared remarks show that he was planning to repeat his proposal for talks without precondition but that this section was omitted from the remarks he actually made before the UN Security Council, perhaps out of deference to the White House. According to the Washington Post, White House aides are becoming increasingly displeased with Tillerson and predict that he will not remain in his office for long. North Korean Ambassador to the UN Ja Song-nam, who attended the UN Security Council meeting, asserted that North Korea is a responsible nuclear weapons state and that it would faithfully implement its duties related to nonproliferation. This was apparently an attempt to shift the focus of the North Korean nuclear issue from “denuclearization” to “nonproliferation.” By Yi Yong-in, Washington correspondent Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
