North Korea and the United States have held dialogue in New York on the heels of surprise inter-Korean nuclear talks in Bali, Indonesia, raising hopes for the resumption of the long-stalled six-party nuclear talks. North Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan met with U.S. special representative for North Korea policy Stephen Bosworth on July 28, their first talks in 19 months. The high-level officials from the two countries wrapped up the two-day meeting without a joint statement. After the talks, Kim said the two sides discussed mutual concerns comprehensively, while the U.S. adhered to its previous view that North Korea must take specific actions first before normalizing relations with the U.S. and resuming the six-party talks. Professor Yu Ho-yeol of the North Korean Studies Department at Korea University says North Korea and the U.S. focused more on exploring the other side’s position and finding common ground on restarting dialogue, rather than producing a concrete outcome.

The recent meeting between North Korea and the U.S. came after a long suspension of dialogue. It was more about confirming each other’s positions and considering the possibility of coordinating their differing views than reaching some sort of agreement. The diplomatic situation on the Korean Peninsula has deteriorated seriously in the wake of North Korea’s torpedoing of the South Korean warship Cheonan in March last year and its artillery attack on the South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong last November. It is worth mentioning that the North Korea-U.S. meeting last week was a business-like contact, in which the two sides sought to explore the new possibility of approaching the nuclear issue and the six-party talks separately from the North’s provocations against the South.

Both Pyongyang and Washington have assessed the meeting positively. Kim and Bosworth say the talks were very constructive and business-like, adding that they will continue discussions for future talks. But Professor Yu says it is too early to jump to any conclusions.

North Korea tried hard to engage in dialogue with the U.S., and the North now seems to be quite satisfied with the realization of dialogue. But it is hard to say there was a pragmatic progress in their talks. We can determine how extensively the latest talks laid the groundwork for dialogue, depending on what result the follow-up talks may produce or how involved countries can fine-tune their views following the New York meeting.

Many are wondering what North Korea and the U.S. discussed during the recent meeting. Prior to the talks, the U.S. government announced its invitation of the North Korean delegation and said the meeting would touch on the resumption of the six-party talks and the improvement of relations between the two countries as well. As indicated in the North Korean Vice Foreign Minister’s remarks after the talks, it seems that the two sides discussed North Korea’s denuclearization, the resumption of the six-party talks and ways to improve North Korea-U.S. relations. It is speculated that the two countries revealed wide differences over such issues as halting North Korea’s nuclear activities and the return of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to North Korea as well as the North’s uranium enrichment program, the biggest point of contention.

The U.S. has paid keen attention to North Korea’s nuclear weapons development using extracted plutonium and its uranium enrichment facility, which North Korea disclosed last year amid the stalled six-party talks. The U.S. wants Pyongyang to put a stop to all its nuclear activities and take actions to prove it. For example, the North could allow IAEA inspectors to return to the country to verify whether North Korea actually halted nuclear activities. For progress in dialogue, Pyongyang should meet those demands from the U.S. North Korea, for its part, strongly urges the U.S. to discuss the issue of establishing a peace regime through the conclusion of a peace treaty, while stressing the need for implementing the September 19 Joint Statement during the recent talks with the U.S. and the earlier inter-Korean meeting. I think it will take some time for North Korea and the U.S. to coordinate their views on these thorny issues.

Now that North Korea and the U.S. have completed their “preliminary” dialogue, experts predict that the “main” session will follow once or twice down the road. They mention the possibility of Stephen Bosworth’s exchange visit to Pyongyang. Attention also swings to whether inter-Korean dialogue will proceed in tandem, since too much focus on North Korea-U.S. talks may strengthen Pyongyang’s traditional strategy of engaging in dialogue solely with the U.S. while sidelining South Korea. But Professor Yu dismisses this possibility.

North Korea has habitually used an old policy of forming closer ties with the U.S. while keeping out South Korea as a way to maximize its benefits. But South Korea and the U.S. are well aware of the North’s anachronistic tactic and they are fully prepared for it. Given the current level of South Korea-U.S. relations, the strategy is unlikely to work. Still, when dealing with North Korea, Seoul and Washington should consider that the North is always willing to resort to this strategy.

Diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula has shifted into dialogue, and this will facilitate follow-up talks between North Korea and the U.S. and bilateral and multilateral contacts among participants of the six-party talks. Based on each country’s assessment of the recent North Korea-U.S. dialogue, various forms of diplomatic contacts, such as inter-Korean talks, additional North Korea-U.S. dialogue or North Korea-Japan talks, are expected to take place.

China, the host country of the six-party talks, advocates peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and North Korea’s denuclearization more than any other country. For a prompt resumption of the six-party talks, China could put indirect pressure on North Korea. So, Beijing is expected to make great diplomatic efforts to keep the hard-earned dialogue momentum alive. Japan, too, wants to be actively involved in new developments in regional diplomacy, like the latest North Korea-U.S. meeting, by consulting with the U.S. And Russia regards the six-party talks as important leverage to seek its own interest in Northeast Asia. In short, the involved countries will make efforts to reconvene the six-party talks for their respective reasons.

What matters will be the contents of the discussions, not the frequency or format of meetings among the involved countries. Most of all, North Korea should demonstrate its denuclearization commitment through specific actions in order to make progress in the overall situation. The ball is now in North Korea’s court. We’ll wait and see whether the current dialogue phase will proceed smoothly following the recent North Korea-U.S. dialogue.


[Interview]Training Program for Volunteers Devoted to Helping Defectors
At sunset, a rumble of laughter fills the air at the International Youth Center located in Banghwa-dong, western Seoul. The young people chatting and laughing are participating in a training program, “Volunteers’ Camp for Helping North Korean Defectors.” Sixty people from across the country, including high schoolers, college students, those studying abroad and ordinary citizens, took part in the three-day program that started on July 11. Here’s Kim Mi-ri, assistant administrator at the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, which organized this training program.

The slogan of this training program is “Let’s learn how to love, love to learn.” To do volunteer work, volunteers are supposed to love others. To approach others and help them well, the volunteers should learn how to love. The program is mostly focused on helping the participants better understand North Korean defectors here. The young participants may find it rather boring just to attend lectures. So we offer a program designed to encourage them to come up with new ideas, introduce them to relevant organizations and help them learn how they can engage in volunteer work there.

More than 20-thousand North Korean defectors have arrived here in South Korea. It is necessary to understand the ever-increasing number of newcomers and extend a helping hand to them, but South Korean society lacks expertise about North Korean expatriates and information about volunteer work for them is scarce. With the purpose of enhancing the understanding of North Korean newcomers and nurturing volunteers who will work for them, the Seoul-based human rights group Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights has held the training program for volunteers since 1999. Ms. Kim talks about the virtues of a good volunteer.

I think volunteers should not be too enthusiastic. If their expectations are too high, they may get tired of people quickly. I hope volunteers will look at North Korean defectors just the way they are without any prejudice. Most importantly, I recommend those hoping to volunteer to help the newcomers to receive some education. Prior education is essential for them to get their hearts ready for volunteer work. Then, volunteers and defectors alike will not run out of steam.

During the training period, the participants listened to defectors’ testimonies about their lives in North Korea and attended lectures on the current state of North Korean refugees who escaped their home country and the appropriate attitude of volunteers. They also visited relevant organizations, including the defectors’ group North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity, to experience and learn more about support programs for North Korean new settlers. The most popular program, among other things, was role-playing depicting the newcomers’ resettlement process. While preparing for role-playing activities with college students from North Korea and taking part in the debate session conducted by different groups, the participants were able to share a deeper understanding and love with one another. The human rights group plans to connect the participants with various defector-related groups so the program won’t end up being just a one-time event and the participants can engage in volunteer work later on.

For a Hangyeore School’s summer camp for teaching history to teenage defectors, we’re planning on recruiting volunteers who will work there. Another organization has asked us if we can introduce some volunteers who can work for its afterschool classes. More and more people are volunteering to work for North Korean defectors. While sharing their experience with people around them, they can help improve the perceptions of their northern neighbors. I hope the volunteers will share the difficulties they face and encourage one another so they can do their job for a long time without getting tired.

The eyes of the would-be volunteers were shining with enthusiasm. We’re pinning high hopes on their future activities dedicated to lending a helping hand to North Korean defectors and assisting their resettlement here in South Korea.