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US President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un
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The date and venue have been decided – but the agenda is still under discussion
The US and North Korea are having a late-stage game of tug-of-war over the agenda for their upcoming summit. Each side is fighting to add more items from its wish list to the basket on the negotiating table. Washington wants to broaden the scope and targets of North Korea’s denuclearization; Pyongyang hopes to prioritize the lifting of US sanctions and the normalization of the two sides’ relations. It’s another signal that the summit is close at hand. US adds to agenda: “Abandon nuclear technology, biochemical weapons” On May 2, newly appointed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo identified “permanent, verifiable, and irreversible dismantlement” (PVID) as the principle for resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, substitute the previous “complete, verifiable, and irreversible dismantlement” (CVID) approach. The change is the replacement of “complete denuclearization” with “permanent denuclearization.” Pompeo did not explain specifically whether this was a simple tweaking of terminology or a change in policy. Whether the approach is CVID or PVID, the US’s calls for North Korea’s complete denuclearization remain essentially the same. But the new use of the word “permanent” could be read as signaling that Washington plans to include possible future nuclear weapon plans within the scope of denuclearization. During the formulation of the September 19 Joint Statement at the Six-Party Talks in 2005, the US called for North Korea’s abandonment of all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear plans, with an insistence on CVID. The precedent suggests the US also hopes to forestall future nuclear plans in its upcoming summit with North Korea. The message is also being read as indicating plans to control the technology and workers that could be used to develop and manufacture nuclear weapons in the future. There are also indications that the US does not intend to recognize North Korea’s right to the peaceful use of nuclear technology even after denuclearization. The US is adding chemical and biological weapons to its demands. During a meeting between White House National Security Advisor John Bolton and Japanese National Security Advisor Shotaro Yachi on May 4, the White House reported, Bolton and Yachi “reaffirmed the shared goal of achieving the complete and permanent dismantlement of North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction, including all nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, biological and chemical weapons, and related programs.” This shows that the US is expanding the scope of denuclearization to include weapons of mass destruction. Some observers think that the issue of Japanese abducted by North Korea might also be added to the agenda. On May 5, the US also reconfirmed that North Korea’s launches of satellites using ballistic missile technology violated resolutions by the UN Security Council. This implies that satellite launches are part of the halt on nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test launches approved during a plenary session of the North Korean Workers’ Party (KWP) on Mar. 20. The North has long argued that its satellite launches cannot be subject to sanctions because they are part of its peaceful space program. North Korea’s warning: “let’s not go back to square one” The North has expressed its unhappiness with the US’s attempts to expand the agenda. In an interview with a reporter from the Korean Central News Agency on May 6, a spokesperson for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry warned that “If the US mistakes our peace-loving resolution for weakness and continues to attempt to pressure and threaten us militarily, it won’t help resolve the issue.” “Deliberately provoking the other party at a time when conditions on the Korean Peninsula are moving in the direction of peace and reconciliation can be regarded as nothing other than a dangerous attempt to pour cold water on the mood for dialogue that has been created after so long and to take us back to square one,” the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said. This is the first time that the North Korean regime has openly criticized the US since a North Korea-US summit was proposed. North Korea’s warning suggests that the North and the US have begun wrestling over the agenda of the summit. “North Korea appears to be saying that it won’t tolerate the Americans’ attempt to include not only denuclearization and mid- and long-range missiles but also biological and chemical weapons and human rights on the agenda of the North Korea-US summit. North Korea and the US found themselves at loggerheads while arranging the agenda, and now they will probably have to deal with that,” said Cho Sung-ryul, senior research fellow for the Institute for National Security. “North Korea and the US appear to have a disagreement about the issue of PVID [permanent, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization]. Even the Blue House is not sure about the extent of that disagreement. We’re keeping an eye on it,” said a senior official at the Blue House. Some pundits believe that the back-and-forth between North Korea and the US is calculated to increase their leverage in the summit. One expert who is familiar with trends in North Korea underlined the fact that the interview with the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson did not appear in the KWP’s official organ the Rodong Sinmun the next day, as such interviews typically do. “Hammering out the agenda of the North Korea-US summit is probably partially complete, and it’s possible that the issue of relaxing sanctions on the North has not been adopted as an agenda item. North Korea, which is desperate for relief from the sanctions, appears to have sent a warning to the US, which is not planning to ease sanctions, for use during the negotiations,” said Koo Kab-woo, professor at the University of North Korean Studies. By Yoo Kang-moon, senior staff writer; and Noh Ji-won and Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporters Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
