The nuclear issue has entered a new phase, as North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has expressed hopes to resolve the security issue through bilateral and multilateral talks. According to China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency, Kim told visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao’s special envoy Dai Bingguo on September 18 that he hopes to resolve the nuclear issue through bilateral or multilateral dialogue. Bilateral dialogue here refers to negotiations between North Korea and the United States, but experts have different interpretations of what “multilateral dialogue” means. Some regard it as three-way talks involving North Korea, the U.S. and China, while others speculate it may include four countries—North Korea, the U.S., China and Russia, excluding South Korea and Japan. And some others predict it will be a new form of six-party talks. But Dr. Hong Hyun-ik from the Sejong Institute echoes the view that the North Korean leader is willing to return to the existing six-way negotiations.

The North Korean leader made the remarks while meeting with the Chinese special envoy, apparently in consideration of special relations with China, which has given massive aid to North Korea and also chairs the six-party talks. Therefore, Kim’s comments are intended to respect China’s diplomatic status. North Korea has a high degree of self-respect, though it suffers from economic difficulty. I imagine the North never wanted to reverse what it had already said. In order to save face, Kim Jong-il mentioned “multilateral dialogue” instead of six-party talks. It is assumed that China has urged the North to rejoin the six-party talks. So, I think “multilateral dialogue” here means the previous six-way talks.

Regarding Kim Jong-il’s recent remarks, diplomatic experts speculate it’s time for North Korea, which has tried to justify power succession by posing a threat to the outside world, to produce some results. North Korea set a goal of building a powerful country by 2012. But the communist nation has limitations in fulfilling that goal with its own efforts alone. In a desperate need to avoid international sanctions and to elicit assistance instead, North Korea seems to have changed its attitude. Many are now wondering how the North Korean leader’s remarks will affect the nuclear issue down the road.

I imagine North Korea and the U.S. will hold one-on-one talks no later than the end of October. Following North Korea-U.S. dialogue, three-way talks between North Korea, U.S. and China may take place. If the bilateral talks make some progress, even the six-party talks could resume. The results of the bilateral negotiations will determine the future structure of the nuclear issue.

Meanwhile, involved countries express mixed responses to Kim Jong-il’s remarks. China seems delighted and eager to attach significance to his comment. Beijing has yet to announce its official position, but it believes North Korea has clearly expressed its willingness to resolve the nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiations. On the other hand, the United States remains rather cautious. Last Saturday, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell interpreted Kim’s comment positively, but also stressed that the U.S. has no intention of conducting bilateral negotiations with North Korea outside the six-party framework. On a different note, however, other officials in Washington noted U.S. President Barack Obama’s unusual comment about Kim Jong-il’s health condition, even predicting that a North Korea-U.S. summit may be possible, depending on the progress in overall situations. But Dr. Hong says there’s still a long way to go.

President Obama said last Sunday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is healthy and in firm control of state affairs. Obama made this comment in an apparent bid to facilitate the mood for dialogue by acknowledging the Kim regime indirectly and hinting that Washington has no intention of shaking the current North Korean regime. But there’s a long way to go before effectuating the North Korea-U.S. summit. First, the two sides should produce substantial results at their prospective negotiations, and North Korea must pledge to dismantle its nuclear programs in a reliable manner. Also, there should be progress in establishing a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula and putting an end to the Cold War in the region. Only then, will North Korea and the U.S. be able to hold a summit. The U.S. has sought to end the nuclear crisis, but North Korea continues to strengthen its nuclear capabilities. It will take a considerable amount of time before North Korea wins Washington’s trust by showing its commitment to the nuclear issue through action.

As expected, the nuclear issue will remain the biggest sticking point until the resumption of the six-party talks. Even if North Korea returns to the multilateral negotiations, it’s still uncertain whether the North will really give up its nuclear weapons. Also, it’s highly likely that the “action-for-action” or “reward-for-reward” principle may spark a fierce controversy again. Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak proposed a “grand bargain” on the North Korean nuclear issue on Monday. Under the package deal, North Korea would dismantle core parts of its nuclear arms program in exchange for a security guarantee. The offer came amid rising concerns that South Korea might lose the initiative in addressing the nuclear issue, with North Korea and the U.S. poised for bilateral dialogue. Diplomatic experts stress that Seoul must play a more active role as the key player in negotiations over security issues on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea and the U.S. are expected to hold bilateral talks sooner or later, and North Korea and Japan will also likely start negotiations, following the inauguration of a new government in Japan. China and Russia have maintained good relations with North Korea as traditional communist allies. Riding on this international mood, South Korea must reopen dialogue channels with Pyongyang as early as possible and pursue its own benefits by revitalizing inter-Korean economic cooperation programs, including the Gaeseong industrial park business. Seoul also needs to create a new inter-Korean channel to discuss the nuclear issue and get actively involved in the solution to the security concern so it can maximize its national interest.

Participants of the six-way talks have engaged in a flurry of diplomatic activities since Kim Jong-il signaled his will toward dialogue, and the nuclear issue is shifting to a dialogue phase from the previous sanction phase. Now is time to seek a new solution to the nuclear standoff, in line with North Korea’s changed attitude, within the six-party framework.


[Interview] Welfare Center Connects S. Korean Families with N. Korean Defectors
These two women are exchanging greetings. One woman is North Korean defector Kim Yeon-ok and the other is South Korean housewife Oh Ji-hee. They first got to know each other through a program called “People to People,” which was organized by the Cheongsol Social and Welfare Center in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province. The program is designed to connect South Korean families with defectors from North Korea. Here’s social worker Kim Ji-na from the welfare center to explain more about the program.

This program helps South Korean citizens form friendly relations with North Korean defectors. In this program, South Korean participants become mentors and their North Korean counterparts, mentees. The North Korean newcomers usually find it difficult to use discount chains here. It’s one of the difficulties they face after arriving in South Korea. We hoped to help the newcomers overcome such difficulties through this mentoring program. Currently, we support 26 families. The South Korean mentors and the North Korean mentees usually go to the market together once a month. It depends on families, but many of them go on a picnic together every weekend. Sometimes, all the members of the South and North Korean families spend time together.

Mentor Oh Ji-hee has participated in this program since last April. Today, she visited a discount outlet in Seongnam to help her mentee Kim Yeon-ok with grocery shopping. At first, everything in the market, from foreign labels to various products that Kim had never seen in North Korea, was unfamiliar to her. It took courage to buy even a single item. But by hanging around with her South Korean friend for the last six months, Kim has learned a lot. Now she decides on what kinds of goods she will buy and even compares prices of similar commodities. Ji-hee was greatly interested in support programs for North Korean defectors. One of her acquaintances introduced her to this program, and she was eager to sign up for it. And she has informed her North Korean friend, Yeon-ok, of basic tips needed for her South Korean life, including grocery shopping. The two women have now become close friends, even calling each other sister, and meeting and talking frequently. But the situation was different in the beginning. They were rather careful in approaching each other because they had lived in different cultures and they were total strangers.

…I was surprised to hear that she had never visited a market before. When I asked her where she bought things, she said she had visited small shops in her neighborhood because she was too scared to leave her apartment complex. So I decided to help her purchase goods in a large market. At first, I didn’t even know how to speak to her. I was wondering how I could express my intentions and whether she could understand me.

….I imagine she had a hard time in understanding me because I didn’t know about South Korea at all. North and South Koreans often use different words when referring to the same thing. For example, we, North Koreans, describe what South Koreans call “carrots” as “red radishes.” At first, I had no idea what “carrot” meant. I guess Ji-hee found it difficult to communicate with me.

To get to know each other better, the two women met frequently. They went to many restaurants together to eat various South Korean foods that Kim had never tasted before. And they began to share their interests and feelings as housewives and mothers. As time went by, they moved beyond their mentor-mentee relationship and began to feel like they had a new family member or friend. Yeon-ok, who had to adjust to an unfamiliar South Korean environment, is moved to tears whenever she thinks of the deep consideration her South Korean friend has given to her.

I really appreciate her help. I was very lucky to meet her. She was willing to buy me some delicious food after finishing my grocery shopping, although I was the one who should’ve treated her. She’s a frugal person, but she never hesitated to buy me food. I was really impressed. Actually, I was very worried about how I could survive here in South Korea. After meeting Ji-hee, I realized there were so many nice people out there. I really thank her.

It’s important to provide economic assistance to North Korean defectors who resettle in South Korea. But the intimate friendship between these two women reminds us once again that what the newcomers really need is our interest and consideration.