South Korea’s representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, Cho Tae Yong met with United States Special Representative for North Korea Policy Glyn Davies in Seoul today.
Giving a press conference at Incheon International Airport in Seoul, Davies stated, “We can’t get back to the Six-Party Talks until we see a much greater degree of willingness on the part of North Korea to take the steps that it has already promised to take.”
China’s point man on the Six-Party Talks, Wu Dawei has been pushing for the Six-Tarty Talks to restart on an unconditional basis since his return from North Korea last month. Chinese Premier Xi Xinping also told President Barack Obama during the recent G20 summit in Russia that he “hopes the Six-Party Talks will begin again soon.”
However, the policy of South Korea, the U.S and Japan remains that North Korea must take sincere steps toward denuclearization before any talks can begin.
Despite this, South Korea and the U.S. do not see China’s active steps toward restarting dialogue in a negative light, as this makes it possible to assess North Korea’s intention to denuclearize.
Davies and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel are visiting China, Korea and Japan during the trip.
Following his return from North Korea, Wu Dawei suggested a “1.5 Track” meeting of scholars and representatives from each of the six nations, and Davies has said that he will discuss it further upon arrival in Beijing.
