[INTERVIEW] North Korea seeks sanctions relief with olive branch: ex
Ex-chief US negotiator says NK should never be taken as nuclear state'
By Kim Jae-kyoung
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's peace overture to South Korea is a calibrated strategy aimed at securing relief from sanctions, according to a former chief U.S. negotiator with North Korea.
He believes Kim's offer of dialogue and to participate in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games was guided by three intentions.
"North Korea aims to start to lay the groundwork for its expectations of relief from some sanctions while not addressing the nuclear issues," former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Christopher Hill said in an interview.
"Also, Pyongyang is seeking to pose as a responsible and friendly neighbor even as it develops nuclear weapons whose purpose is to weaken South Korea and U.S. resolve. Finally, it wants to create divisions in the ROK-US alliance."
Hill, who served as head of the U.S. delegation to the 2005-2009 six-party nuclear talks, is currently the chief adviser to the Chancellor for Global Engagement and a professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at the University of Denver.
His view comes as the two Koreas held high-level talks at the truce village of Panmunjeon Tuesday over North Korea's participation in the Olympic Games and restoring strained bilateral relations. They are expected to hold working-level talks next week.
For successful talks, the veteran negotiator said President Moon Jae-in should take a measured approach without hurriedness.
"South Korean negotiators should listen carefully, try to keep the process civil, and take things one step at a time," he said.
The former U.S. ambassador to South Korea between 2004 and 2005 said the reclusive regime should never be recognized as a nuclear state because it will fundamentally undermine the principle of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.
"No one should ever accept North Korea as a nuclear power," he said.
"It will not bring stability to the region, nor address North Korea's own problems."
He pointed out Pyongyang is seeking to become a nuclear power for strategic reasons.
"North Korea is not seeking nuclear weapons for defensive purposes," he said.
"Rather, its thirst for these types of weapons is designed to help it achieve broader goals including weakening the ROK-US alliance."
The career diplomat said Moon's move to fix relations with China following a dispute over the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here is a step in the right direction.
"A more positive relationship between China and South Korea is in everyone's interest, including the U.S.," he said.
"It should not be described or interpreted as a balance."
After Moon agreed on the "Four Principles," including the unacceptability of war on the Korean Peninsula, at a recent summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, there were concerns his diplomatic policy has tipped the balance in favor of China over the U.S.
"On THAAD and missile defense, South Korea has an obligation to protect its people," Hill said.
"Surely, over time, China can be brought around to understand this point better than it evidently does."
As for delaying the U.S.-ROK joint exercise, Hill said any change in the schedule of the joint drills should, above all, be assessed on the basis of the training needs for the two armed forces.
"Assuming there is some scope for changes, they should be jointly considered by the two militaries," he said.
"It is important no one gets the impression North Korea can set the timing and scope of joint ROK-U.S. military exercises which are defensive in nature, a fact North Korea knows very well."
Ahead of the talks, Seoul and Washington agreed to delay joint military exercises until after the Winter Olympics slated for Feb. 9 to 23.
Hill was U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Macedonia and Poland, as well as a special envoy to Kosovo and a negotiator of the Dayton Peace Accords.
By Kim Jae-kyoung
 |
| Christopher Hill |
He believes Kim's offer of dialogue and to participate in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games was guided by three intentions.
"North Korea aims to start to lay the groundwork for its expectations of relief from some sanctions while not addressing the nuclear issues," former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Christopher Hill said in an interview.
"Also, Pyongyang is seeking to pose as a responsible and friendly neighbor even as it develops nuclear weapons whose purpose is to weaken South Korea and U.S. resolve. Finally, it wants to create divisions in the ROK-US alliance."
Hill, who served as head of the U.S. delegation to the 2005-2009 six-party nuclear talks, is currently the chief adviser to the Chancellor for Global Engagement and a professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at the University of Denver.
His view comes as the two Koreas held high-level talks at the truce village of Panmunjeon Tuesday over North Korea's participation in the Olympic Games and restoring strained bilateral relations. They are expected to hold working-level talks next week.
For successful talks, the veteran negotiator said President Moon Jae-in should take a measured approach without hurriedness.
"South Korean negotiators should listen carefully, try to keep the process civil, and take things one step at a time," he said.
The former U.S. ambassador to South Korea between 2004 and 2005 said the reclusive regime should never be recognized as a nuclear state because it will fundamentally undermine the principle of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.
"No one should ever accept North Korea as a nuclear power," he said.
"It will not bring stability to the region, nor address North Korea's own problems."
He pointed out Pyongyang is seeking to become a nuclear power for strategic reasons.
"North Korea is not seeking nuclear weapons for defensive purposes," he said.
"Rather, its thirst for these types of weapons is designed to help it achieve broader goals including weakening the ROK-US alliance."
The career diplomat said Moon's move to fix relations with China following a dispute over the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here is a step in the right direction.
"A more positive relationship between China and South Korea is in everyone's interest, including the U.S.," he said.
"It should not be described or interpreted as a balance."
After Moon agreed on the "Four Principles," including the unacceptability of war on the Korean Peninsula, at a recent summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, there were concerns his diplomatic policy has tipped the balance in favor of China over the U.S.
"On THAAD and missile defense, South Korea has an obligation to protect its people," Hill said.
"Surely, over time, China can be brought around to understand this point better than it evidently does."
As for delaying the U.S.-ROK joint exercise, Hill said any change in the schedule of the joint drills should, above all, be assessed on the basis of the training needs for the two armed forces.
"Assuming there is some scope for changes, they should be jointly considered by the two militaries," he said.
"It is important no one gets the impression North Korea can set the timing and scope of joint ROK-U.S. military exercises which are defensive in nature, a fact North Korea knows very well."
Ahead of the talks, Seoul and Washington agreed to delay joint military exercises until after the Winter Olympics slated for Feb. 9 to 23.
Hill was U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Macedonia and Poland, as well as a special envoy to Kosovo and a negotiator of the Dayton Peace Accords.
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