North Korea has proposed high-level talks with the U.S. The surprise dialogue offer was made on June 16th through a statement from a spokesperson of North Korea’s National Defense Commission. The “significant statement” of the top governing body in North Korea is the country’s highest-level statement, suggesting that it was announced under the instruction of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The spokesman said that North Korea and the U.S. could discuss issues of mutual interest on the Korean Peninsula such as easing military tension, replacing the Korean War armistice agreement with a peace treaty, and establishing a world free of nuclear weapons. He added that the U.S. can decide on the meeting’s venue and time at its own convenience. Pyongyang’s overture for dialogue came five days after a planned inter-Korean government meeting fell through last week. Attention now swings to why North Korea proposed talks with the U.S. at this particular point in time. Here’s Professor Kim Geun-sik from Kyungnam University to explain.

North Korea already made up its mind to turn the situation around from confrontation to negotiations after its special envoy Choe Ryong-hae visited China in May. During his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Choe promised that his country would participate in various forms of dialogue, including six-party nuclear talks. It seems that Pyongyang was carefully seeking dialogue with other countries, as seen in the North Korea visit by Isao Iijima, advisor to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and the scheduled inter-Korean meeting, although it was called off in the end. North Korea’s proposal of talks with the U.S. has therefore been highly anticipated. North Korea appears to have chosen the time of proposal in consideration of various summit meetings that could influence regional order in Northeast Asia.

What grabs our attention is that North Korea stresses its commitment to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, which is a topic the North has rarely brought up. Pyongyang mentioned denuclearization while proposing talks with the U.S. and said if the U.S. is truly interested in a “nuclear free world” and easing tension, it should actively come forward for the talks. The North also stressed that peninsula denuclearization is the wish of the country’s late former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il and a policy task that the party and the country must realize. This is the first time that Pyongyang has mentioned denuclearization as the dying instructions of its former leaders. North Korea had actually declared an end to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula after Kim Jong-un took office.

The most conspicuous part in North Korea’s recent dialogue proposal is a shift to possible denuclearization through negotiations. Around the time it went ahead with a third nuclear test in February, the North said there will be no more dialogue on denuclearization. But in the latest dialogue offer, North Korea says denuclearization is the wish left by its former leaders and a goal that should be fulfilled. Obviously, Pyongyang is showing signs of backing off, taking a forward-looking attitude. In this respect, negotiations between North Korea and the U.S., if realized, will be significant. For North Korea, however, denuclearization is a final stage, something that is possible only after it obtains everything it wants from the U.S. In other words, Pyongyang wants to first negotiate over such issues as the conclusion of a peace treaty with the U.S. and reducing tension. If the negotiations prove successful, denuclearization is possible in the final stage. This is North Korea’s position.

In response, the U.S. government says specific actions for denuclearization should be taken first before any high-level talks between North Korea and the U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden says the U.S. will judge North Korea by its actions and not its words and look forward to seeing steps that show North Korea is ready to abide by its commitments and obligations. The remarks are interpreted as the reiteration of the Obama administration’s position that Washington can engage in dialogue or negotiations with North Korea on the condition that Pyongyang promises to implement denuclearization measures in a sincere manner. Experts say the U.S. is unlikely to recognize Pyongyang’s offer of dialogue as a “change in attitude” and therefore the proposal will not lead to dialogue or six-party talks anytime soon.

With its proposal of talks, North Korea put the ball in Washington’s court. But for now, the U.S. is showing a negative view on the proposal. I think it will be necessary for the two sides to have behind-the-scenes contact. Whether through a New York channel or exchanging messages via China, Pyongyang and Washington need to inform each other of exactly what their true intentions are. If the U.S. concludes that the dialogue offer could lead to denuclearization, it has no reason to reject negotiations. North Korea could take some sincere measures, as the U.S. demands, such as a declaration of a moratorium to missile and nuclear tests, as agreed upon during the February 29th agreement in 2012. Or North Korea might allow the inspection team of the International Atomic Energy Agency to return to the North. If these measures are implemented before negotiations, there is a good chance of negotiations between North Korea and the U.S.

Meanwhile, the South Korean government is carefully analyzing the backdrop for North Korea’s proposal of dialogue with the U.S. Some speculate that North Korea is again resorting to its old tactic of seeking direct talks with the U.S. while sidelining Seoul after the planned inter-Korean talks fell apart. They say North Korea offered to hold dialogue with Washington in an apparent bid to break the three-way cooperation among South Korea, the U.S. and China and to escape isolation. But Professor Kim has a different opinion.

For North Korea, the final, comprehensive solution to the nuclear issue, in essence, should be found through negotiations with the U.S. I don’t think North Korea quickly proposed dialogue with the U.S. just because the inter-Korean meeting was canceled. North Korea has already employed the strategy of seeking various types of dialogue with the outside world since its special envoy Choe Ryong-hae’s China visit last month. In this sense, even if the inter-Korean meeting had ended successfully, North Korea would have still proposed talks with the U.S. If the inter-Korean dialogue fails—it actually did— the offer of dialogue with the U.S. was an expected step. So, it’s unnecessary to interpret Pyongyang’s latest move as its typical strategy to embrace the U.S. while keeping out the South. North Korea, on its part, is trying to get what it wants by holding talks with any country and claiming that it is a nuclear power. So, it would be fair to say that North Korea has launched multilateral offensives for dialogue.

Many are now wondering what the next steps will be after North Korea proposed talks with the U.S. Most experts agree that the political situation on the Korean Peninsula will not go through a tense phase again but the mood for dialogue will be maintained for the time being. Around the South Korea-China summit scheduled for June 27th, North Korea could be committed to inter-Korean dialogue yet again. Experts say the role of the South Korean government is very important now.

The situation is turning around from confrontation to negotiations anyway, with North Korea actively proposing dialogue and even hinting at the possibility of denuclearization. South Korea and the U.S. do not necessarily need to view North Korea’s dialogue offer negatively or to show reluctance to North Korea’s demand for certain actions as a precondition for negotiations. Of course, it’s necessary to know what’s really on Pyongyang’s mind through behind-the-scenes contact. The U.S. needs to engage in negotiations with North Korea if it draws a conclusion that the North is truly committed to denuclearization at the negotiations. If so, it’s necessary for the South Korean government to join the move. South Korea may need to urge China to pressure North Korea during the upcoming bilateral summit in Beijing. But at the same time, Seoul also needs to express its willingness to hold dialogue with Pyongyang and lead inter-Korean relations more actively.

The international community is paying attention to North Korea’s recent move to turn the situation around in regional diplomacy. Pyongyang’s proposal of talks should not end up being just an offer but develop into sincere dialogue for the sake of peace in the region. Also, involved countries, including South Korea, the U.S. and China, should hopefully keep the hard-earned momentum for dialogue going.


[Interview] Former N. Korean Soldier Launches Women’s Group in South
As the number of North Korean defectors coming to South Korea has increased significantly, more and more newcomers are entering the workforce here. But still, many are just drifting as marginal individuals. In particular, women defectors in their 20s to 50s, who account for more than half the total amount of North Korean newcomers, face a harsh reality. Despite their uniquely strong ability to maintain their livelihood and diligence, it is never easy to get jobs in South Korea. Here’s a private organization, mostly consisting of women from North Korea, with the aim of helping their fellow women defectors find jobs and resettle in South Korean society properly. Let’s meet with Yi So-yeon, the representative of New Korea Consociation of Women.

Being a North Korean defector myself, I discovered that college students and young people from North Korea as well as women defectors were met with a lot of difficulty and inconsistency in the process of resettling here in the South. While we may not be able to provide much financial assistance, we were wondering how to give help to defectors in some other way. Also, we believed we should carry out activities related to the North Korean human rights issue. That’s why we organized this group. We have about 200 members now. Since the group was launched in July 2010, we have held photo exhibitions on many occasions to bring to light the infringement of human rights in North Korea.

These days, more and more women defectors are entering South Korea with only their children, not with their husbands. It means they shoulder the heavy burden of educating their children alone. They often suffer financially and psychologically due to the lack of information about the education system in South Korea. So Ms. Yi tries hard to come up with specific support measures to assist women defectors in their resettlement.

In some cases, children of defector women are left out in the cold by their classmates in school. If the mothers hear this, their hearts are broken, of course. Other than this, defector mothers face many more problems. While wondering how to help them solve the problems, we’re now thinking about asking college students from North Korea to volunteer to teach younger school kids of North Korean women. Also, we’re considering helping women in their 40s to 60s to obtain the health care worker’s license and connect them with relevant medical institutions.

Yi stresses that women from North Korea must pursue a more practical and professional career, such as health care workers, to showcase their abilities. For her first two years in South Korea, Yi worked hard without a break, doing three or four part-time jobs a day. But her salary rarely increased and her life remained the same. For a better life, she decided to focus more on self-improvement. She later earned a degree at a cyber university. Now, she is serving as a lecturer in security. Contrary to her soft appearance, Yi was a soldier in North Korea. She joined the North Korean army in 1992 and did her military service for ten years before retiring as a master sergeant. She was in the service during the so-called “Arduous March” period in the mid-1990s when North Korea suffered from their worst-ever food shortages.

In the mid-1990s, so many North Korean soldiers were afflicted with hepatitis or tuberculosis due to undernourishment. At the time, lots of ordinary citizens died of disease or starvation and many soldiers also died of those diseases or malnutrition. We buried their bodies in the hills behind the military base. From the base down there, the hills seemed to rise because of increasing tombs. The situation in men’s units was even more severe. Soldiers had no other choice but to steal. They would barge into resident’s houses to steal food. That’s how most military units survived. I thought North Korean soldiers existed simply to stay alive. It was a terrible vicious circle.

On top of enduring the Arduous March period, Yi was put in jail as she was sent back to North Korea after her escape. After many twists and turns, she finally managed to reach South Korea. Having gone through the desperate moments of life or death, she says she is thankful every day here in South Korea. She also says young defectors should shake off their image as people struggling to make ends meet but do something meaningful after unification. For this purpose, Yi says she will develop her group in a way to contribute to society.

I should make greater efforts myself. As the number of North Korean defectors continues to increase, I will manage the group in a more mature and responsible way so that many more newcomers join it with interest and trust. I think women defectors can expand their presence in society and play great roles in North Korea after unification.

Today, as always, Yi is busy with support activities for women from North Korea. As she wishes, her group will hopefully serve as a steppingstone to greater opportunities for women defectors.