N.K. moves closer to 6-way talks

The possibility of North Korea returning to the stalled six-nation talks appeared to grow following a visit by a top Chinese official to Pyongyang this week.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il reiterated his nation`s determination for denuclearization in a meeting with Wang Jiarui, head of the international department of the Chinese Communist Party.

The meeting should jumpstart the multilateral talks aimed at ending Pyongyang`s nuclear weapons programs, experts said yesterday.

Kim may also visit China, as Beijing has reportedly extended the invitation through Wang.

North Korea`s chief nuclear negotiator Kim Gye-gwan arrived in China yesterday with Wang, possibly to coordinate Kim`s trip.

"Kim`s visit and the resumption of the six-nation talks are now highly plausible," said Baek Seung-joo, North Korean specialist at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses.

Wang`s visit was likely preplanned, he said, meaning that China had devised the trip so as to create an opportunity for the North to return to the denuclearization negotiations.

As a quid pro quo, experts said the North most likely received - or was at least promised - extensive economic incentives.

"That kind of a deal makes everyone look good and also involves actual benefits," Baek said. "The North can now come out to the talks and also gain financial aid, while China is able to flaunt its diplomatic authority over the North once more and highlight its role as the chair of the six-way talks."



Foreign Ministry officials here also seemed to believe that a fresh round of discussions were imminent, although they remained cautious.

"We had thought that if North Korean leader Kim Jong-il mentions the six-party talks and denuclearization, that would mean we are back in business," said one official declining to be identified.

In addition to stressing his willingness for denuclearization, Kim called on the other members of the talks to show their "sincerity."

Officials, however, also said it would be difficult for China to be too expressive about the economic gifts it may be extending to the North.

"China wants to show it is flexing its muscles regarding North Korea, but not to the extent that its partners may accuse it of over-indulging Pyongyang," said another high-ranking Foreign Ministry official on the condition of anonymity.

"This is because China also does not want to disturb the unprecedented close coordination the five nations have lately been enjoying."

Even Beijing had agreed to the tough sanctions the United Nations adopted in the wake of Pyongyang`s second nuclear test in May last year.

The move came after the North declared it would boycott the talks following a U.N. denouncement of its rocket launch.

The previous round of talks had been in December 2008.

Wang`s meeting with the North Korean leader was thus a well-timed move, those close to the matter said.

Especially so as the reclusive regime appears to be toying with the possibility of when and how to return to the talks amid a faltering economy, they said.

Pyongyang is reportedly suffering acutely from an ongoing economic crisis and the stringent U.N. sanctions that have virtually disabled much of the North`s overseas businesses.

But there are still a number of barriers that need to be removed before the six nations can seek progress in denuclearizing the North.

Pyongyang, despite having told Washington that it understood the need to revive the multilateral discussions, maintains that the U.N. sanctions must first be lifted before it can return to the discussion table.

The North also is calling for its negotiation partners to place priority on negotiating a peace treaty.

The Armistice Agreement - the end product of the 1950-53 Korean War - is the source of its security concerns, according to Pyongyang.

Whether the North would agree on complete and irreversible denuclearization in exchange for the bundle of "comprehensive" economic incentives offered by Seoul and other members of the multilateral discussions also remains to be seen, experts noted.

(jemmie@heraldm.com)



By Kim Ji-hyun