Anchor: A U.S. news Web site says the Trump administration has presented North Korea with a formal timeline for starting the process of denuclearization. The report comes as the U.S. and North Korea are witnessing a stalemate in their nuclear negotiations and Washington seems to have adopted a carrot-and-stick approach towards Pyongyang.
Our Bae Joo-yon has more.

Report: U.S. news Web site Vox reported on Wednesday that Washington had proposed Pyongyang hand over 60 to 70 percent of its nuclear weapons within six to eight months, after which the U.S. or a third party would take possession of the warheads and remove them from the North.

According to the report, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo presented the plan to North Korean negotiators multiple times over the past two months, but the North’s delegation, led by senior official Kim Yong-chol, has turned down Pompeo’s proposal each time.

Vox said that “it’s unclear what concessions, if any, the U.S. would offer in exchange beyond sanctions relief or removing North Korea from the state sponsors of terrorism list.”

Given that Pyongyang has yet to disclose to Washington just how many nuclear bombs it has, it would be difficult to verify the North’s arsenal volume even if it did agree to hand over what it claims to be 60 to 70 percent of its arsenal.

One source told Vox that Pompeo’s main goal in this stage of the negotiations is solely to get Pyongyang to officially reveal how many nuclear weapons it has.

The Vox report said North Korean negotiators began to sour on the U.S. after its repeated requests for the nuclear handover, and that was likely reflected during and after Pompeo's third visit to Pyongyang in July.

While Pompeo's expected meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un never took place, the North called the U.S.' demands "gangster-like" and "regrettable" after the U.S. diplomat left the country.

The U.S., meanwhile, continues to apply pressure on the North.

In a recent interview with Fox News, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had promised to denuclearize within a year when he met South Korean President Moon Jae-in for summit talks in April.

Last month, Pompeo told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Washington aims to achieve Pyongyang's denuclearization by the end of President Donald Trump's first term in office, which runs until January 2021.
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.

[Photo : YONHAP News]