Denuclearization Momentum

Yongbyon, North Korea September 29, 2004


Denuclearization Momentum

South Wary of North’s Offer to Have Direct Talks With US

North Korea has taken the first step toward denuclearization by shutting down its nuclear facilities in Yongbyon. The closedown came Saturday when the first shipments of 6,200 tons of heavy fuel oil reached the North and U.N. nuclear inspectors arrived in Pyongyang. The reclusive Stalinist country took measures before a new round of six-party talks is set to begin in Beijing Wednesday.

The closure of the Yongbyon reactor is expected to open the way for the North's complete scrapping of its nuclear weapons programs under the Feb. 13 denuclearization agreement. The implementation of the accord had been delayed by North Korea's dispute regarding $25 million in frozen funds at the Macau-based Banco Delta Asia (BDA). Last month, the United States transferred the money to a North Korean account through a Russian bank, clearing the obstacle to the disarmament pact.

Kim Myong-kil, deputy chief of the North Korean mission to the United Nations in New York, said his country notified Washington of the shutdown, which U.S. officials confirmed. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack welcomed the move, looking forward to the verification and monitoring of the closedown by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team. The latest development will have positive ramifications on the July 18 Beijing talks.

We hope nuclear envoys from six countries _ the U.S., China, Russia, Japan and the two Koreas _ will make substantial progress in taking follow-up steps toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula during the talks. The negotiators will likely focus on the North's submission of all its nuclear programs, including a highly enriched uranium project. They might discuss ways of turning the 1953 armistice agreement with the North into a peace treaty. We urge North Korea to sincerely carry out its obligations in return for energy aid and diplomatic incentives, in accordance with the disarmament agreement.

Despite the positive developments, South Korea is still skeptical about the North's commitment to complete denuclearization. On Friday, Pyongyang abruptly proposed direct military talks with Washington under the auspices of the U.N. to discuss the establishment of a peace regime on the peninsula. Seoul officials are trying to grasp the real intention of the offer ahead of this week's six-party talks. They are also paying much attention to a meeting between top U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill and his North Korean counterpart Kim Kye-gwan just before the six-nation talks.

South Koreans are uneasy about the proposal because the North has long been trying to have direct talks with the U.S. and exclude the South from discussions of military matters and peace settlements. Announcing the offer, Lt. Gen. Ri Chan-bok, chief of Panmunjeom Mission of the North Korean People's Army, said, ``Our concern (over the nuclear issue) is basically the U.S. nuclear issue.'' He reiterated that the North has consistently called for the withdrawal of U.S. nuclear weapons from the South and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Ri's remarks virtually rebutted an affirmation by President Roh Moo-hyun last December that there aren't any U.S. nuclear weapons in the South. Some security experts said the North's move might be designed to turn the six-party talks into bilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington. What's also worrisome is a U.S. response. State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said that if the North brings the matter up at the six-party talks, there would be ample opportunity to discuss details.

Another problem is the Roh administration's push for another inter-Korean summit this year. The government is under fire for hastily seeking the summit for political purposes ahead of the presidential election in December. North Korea seems to be trying to get more concessions from Seoul and Washington. The North's shutdown of the Yongbyon reactor is only the beginning of its nuclear disarmament. We have a long way to go before realizing denuclearization and permanent peace on the peninsula.