On the 7th at Panmoonjeom, the Economy and Energy Cooperation Working Group of the Six Party Talks officially entered discussion about the economic and energy aid that’s worth 950,000 tons of heavy oil that will be given accordingly with the North Korea’s nuclear disarmament process that is the secondary phrase of the February 13 Agreement with North Korea.

This meeting was to establish a roadmap for economic, energy and humanitarian aid that’s worth 950,000 tons. Such is following the nuclear disarmament process after our government completed giving 50,000 tons of heavy oil as the North stopped the operation of the Yongbyun nuclear facility on the 14th, July.

Following this, on this day the participating representatives of the working group from North and South Korea, U.S., Japan, China and Russia held the first meeting at the House of Peace on South Korea’s side in Panmunjom and entered negotiation to prepare each country’s response action at the level of North Korea’s actions of nuclear disablement and listing of nuclear programs.

At this conference, the core of discussion topics was to discuss which aid items to draw out from each country that corresponds to 950,000 tons of heavy oil and when it will be provided to North Korea. Due to this, actions to negotiate what North Korea “wants” and what each country “can” give will be carried out.

On this morning at the conference where everyone gathered, it is reported that China followed South Korea to express its intent to give 50,000 tons of heavy oil during the middle of the month. In the case that China leads the aid of 50,000 tons of heavy oil, each country only needs to give economic energy and humanitarian aid worth 900,000 tons of heavy oil.

The February 13 Agreement enumerates that economic, energy and humanitarian aid worth 1mn tons of heavy oil will be provided if North Korea gave up nuclear weapons. Thus, North Korea left the possibility open that the items provided could be general items and not heavy oil.

Realistically, North Korea’s tanks for storing heavy oil are for 50,000 tons of oil per month so even if [countries] wanted to, it is impossible to give all the heavy oil. Thus, as North Korea has mentioned at the last Six Party of heavy oil storage facility ground confirmation and development center equipment aside from heavy oil as a response procedure, it seems that this could be made concrete.

However, even if each country decides on a list of items to send to the North to support, it is not an easy problem to draft a specific roadmap as to when and how.

First during the secondary phrase, North Korea must “report a list of all nuclear programs that exist and deactivate all nuclear facilities” in an ordinary fashion. As this level takes at least 5-6 months of time, work must be carried out in a divisive way to provide North Korea an incentive and to induce a deactivation approach.

Korea had previously suggested a “System of Heavy Oil Gift Certificates” at the six parties’ chief delegates meeting to achieve the goal of “disarmament by the end of the year” to make a written promise instead of waiting for a response action every time North Korea carries out a specific level of action. This is from the judgment that if North Korea waits for each country’s response actions at every level, an amount of time would be delayed as well.

If North Korea accepted this proposal easily, the providing method and time for the response action would not be hard to reach an agreement but experts predict that there is not a high possibility of such case. In such situation, the working group will not be able to compile an agreement proposal and with only a rough frame, a detailed roadmap will be completed in the Six Party talks planned for early September.

On one hand, it was reported that a government official asserted that among the North’s representatives included an authority that manages energy problems and claimed that a detailed agreement process is prepared. Also, as it was introduced that a U.S. Office of Management and Budget related authority was included in the representative team, it is known that there is an intention to give energy aid to the North.

Chun Young Woo, our Six Party delegate of the Economy and Energy Cooperation Working Group said at opening remarks at the conference that “If North Korea carries out denuclearization processes for a secondary phrase, this conference will draft a aid schedule and formula according to 950,000 tons of heavy oil that will be provided.”

Also, he claimed, “At this conference, our role is to make a proposal that is pragmatic and has a high effectiveness of correlating duties. At the end of many obstacles, the Six Party Conference process is gaining movement again and the skepticism is disappearing.