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CIA Director Mike Pompeo speaks during a lecture hosted by the American Enterprise Institute on Jan. 23.
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South Korea will seek a place in discussions over the NK nuclear program
“The US is prepared to engage in dialogue with the North. I think this is the best time for North Korea [to engage in dialogue with the US],” a senior official at South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Jan. 24. “US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that dialogue is possible if [North Korea] refrains from additional provocations to some extent, and President Donald Trump has recently signed on as well. [The US] has never said that kind of thing before,” the official said during a meeting with reporters that afternoon. “The US always used to impose preconditions [for dialogue] that complicated things. But now they’re saying they want to meet for dialogue, which means that it’s better to meet now,” the official added. “When I asked people about it on a visit to the US, they told me that [Tillerson’s remarks] were still valid. When [Tillerson] said we could talk about the weather, he meant we could get together and talk about everything, including what [North Korea’s] concerns are and what form the deliberations should take,” the official explained. “I think that North Korea coming to Pyeongchang to take part [in the Winter Olympics] is a message about relaxing tensions. They’re not likely to commit a provocation while they’re down here. Once things cool down and [tensions] are eased, the mood will be set for dialogue as well.” Along with the importance of North Korea-US dialogue for resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, the official also emphasized that the South Korean government must be ensured a seat at the table when those talks resume. “We are engaging in dialogue with North Korea out of the belief that inter-Korean dialogue should serve as the impetus toward North Korea-US talks and other talks toward denuclearization and resolving the North Korean nuclear issue. It’s clear that South Korean participation must be guaranteed [in future deliberations],” the official said. Americans have also been emphasizing the importance of resolving the North Korean nuclear issue through diplomacy. “The president is intent on delivering this solution [to the North Korean nuclear issue] through diplomatic means. It is the focus. It has been uniformly that for 365 days. It remains so today,” CIA Director Mike Pompeo said during a lecture hosted by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a conservative think tank, on Jan. 23. “We are equally, at the same time, ensuring that… if we conclude that it [a diplomatic solution] is not possible, that we present the president with a range of options,” Pompeo continued. “We’re trying to ensure that all the various options that the president might want to consider are fully informed and we understand what’s really going on and the risks associated with each of those decisions.” This appears to mean that the focus is on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue through dialogue and that Trump is being presented with military options as a worst-case scenario, while being adequately reminded of the risks these would entail. By Noh Ji-won and Kim Ji-eun, staff reporters and Yi Yong-in, Washington correspondent Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
