[imText1]Jung Dong Young, the South Korean Minister of Unification, explained what he had talked with Kim Jong Il on the evening of 17th through the press briefing. What Kim Jong Il mentioned about nuclear problem are as follow.
1) Nuclear-free Korean peninsula is still valid (it is also Kim Il Song’s will). We are against the US for our self-defense reason. There is no reason that North Korea needs to have nuclear. We will return to NPT system as soon as the nuclear problem is solved and allow the IAEA inspection to North Korea.
2) If the US recognize the North Korean system, we can return to six nation talks even in July. The US still does not recognize us as a counterpart, so we will watch the US’s future attitude toward us. We need to discuss more about it with the US.
3) (Related to securing North Korean system) there is some truth in multiple security and we will give careful consideration about it. We will give an answer after careful consideration about actual proposal which can make the nuclear problem to be solved when six party-talks is resumed.
4) General-level talks should be held to ease military tension in the Korean peninsula.
There are deadlocks in Kim Jong Il’s remarks and there is no intention for him to solve the nuclear problem
Kim Jong Il’s remark would be summarized as: ▲Nuclear-free Korean peninsula is valid ▲ If the US recognize the North Korean system (the regime), North Korea would return to six nation talks in July ▲General-level talks is needed to ease military tension.
When we see his remarks, people can anticipate that the North Korean nuclear problem could be solved easily in the future. However, there are deadlocks in his remarks.
Firstly, he said that “the nuclear-free Korean peninsula is still valid” and “it is Kim Il Sung’s will.” North Korea is always says that. North Korea already violated the ‘nuclear-free Korean peninsula declaration’ by developing enriched uranium on October 2002. His remarks are meaningless.
He also said that even though North Korea has nuclear for self-defense, North Korea can give it up if the US is favor of North Korea. There is a deadlock in here.
The expression ‘nuclear-free Korean peninsula’ is connected to ‘the Chosun(Korean) peninsula nuclear problem’ which North Korea has been insisting so far. What he really wants to say is that ‘the Chosun peninsula nuclear problem’ was caused by the US’s intimidation, so if the US recognizes North Korean system, the nuclear problem shall be solved easily.
This means that the US should leave the Korean peninsula and the US forces in South Korea to be withdrawn completely.
The issue is also connected to one of his remark, general-level talks to ease military tension. Whenever military problems are occurred between two Korea, North Korea insisted position change of the US forced in South Korea.
His two remarks are connected to ‘withdraw of the US forces in South Korea’ ultimately. Therefore, what he said this time is just repeating what North Korea has been insisting for last 50 years.
Kim Jong Il acted like he gave lots of gift to South Korea with a plausible lie about military problem including nuclear.
North Korea passed the buck to the US
It is freshly new to hear that that “if the US recognizes North Korean system, North Korea would return to six nation talks even in July.” However, it also has a precondition, “North Korea needs to discuss more with the US.” Therefore, it means that the nuclear problem is something that should be solved by the US and North Korea, and South Korea shall be untimately excluded.
Since May 13, North Korea reportedly asked through North Korea-the US – New York channels that “North Korea has nuclear, so the six-nation talks should be changed to arms reduction talks.” What North Korea wants is limiting to arms reduction problem between the US-North Korea related to the Korean peninsula peace system. In the light of the objective of the six-party talks, which is dismantling North Korean nuclear, what North Korea insisting is unrealizable.
The US already mentioned that North Korea is a sovereign state, so the suggested precondition of, ‘if the US recognize North Korean system’ North Korea insists is meaningless. Therefore, the reason North Korea said that “there is a possibility to return to six nation talks in July’ is kind of requesting the US for more concession related to preconditions for the six-party talks.
We need to pay attention to what Ms. Rice, the Secretary of State, said during Minister Jung and Kim Jong Il held a talks. She said that “North Korea cannot return to the international society with nuclear weapons.” It is like a re-warning to North Korea to “not make any prior conditions to return to the six-nation talks such as changing it to arms reduction problem.”
South Korea shall be dominated by anti-the US and pro-North Korea sentiments in near future
Kim Jong Il did not give any clear answer about ‘June proposal’ which was introduced in the latest ROK-US summit.
A noticeable thing is Kim Jong Il’s clear solution such as ‘North Korea will return to the NPT system and allow the IAEA inspection to North Korea’. People might think that North Korean nuclear problem would be solved easily in the future. It’s Kim Jong Il’s typical way to sully original subject. The nuclear problem shall be solved by six-party talks and North Korea is making a prior condition to return to the talks.
It looks like that Kim Jong Il expressed positive intention to solve the nuclear problem outwardly, but he did not give any concrete solution for it. He just repeated what North Korea has been insisting so far and passed the buck to the US related to the six-party talks. He also stressed that he will watch the US’s attitude toward North Korea.
The thing which has a possibility to be conducted among his remarks is limited to the relation between two Koreas such as reunion of dispersed family members and exchanging of important people during 8.15 events.
Ultimately, Kim Jong Il stressed that he will control the nuclear problem as North Korean program.
He also mentioned about inter-Korean summit saying, ‘he will invite Kim Dae Jung, former president and wants to have summit with him’. He might dream of ‘the second jackpot’ like the summit in 2000. North Korea got more than 5 billion dollars in return for the summit at that time.
In the light of Kim Jong Il’s past experience, he will induce South Korea to bring it by itself. People in South Korea would put their interest into the special envoy.
North Korea will apply a tactic to avoid the US’ offensive by using cooperation with South Korea until 15th of August. South Korea shall be dominated by Anti-US and pro-North Korea sentiments in the near future.
South Korea started to be divided internally because of Kim Jong Il’s meaningless remarks in the talks with Minister Jung Dong Young.
