[Editorial] Both N. Korea, US need to realize time is not on their side

Posted on : 2019-11-11 17:52 KST Modified on : 2019-11-11 17:52 KST
Jo Chol-su, director-general of the North American department at North Korea's foreign ministry, attends the 2019 Moscow Nonproliferation Conference (MNC) in the Russian capital city on Nov. 8, 2019. 
Jo Chol-su, director-general of the North American department at North Korea's foreign ministry, attends the 2019 Moscow Nonproliferation Conference (MNC) in the Russian capital city on Nov. 8, 2019. 

We’re getting closer to the end of the year, which North Korea said is the deadline for its denuclearization talks with the US. But there are no indications that the two countries are moving any closer to negotiations.

There had been some hopes for the nuclear nonproliferation conference held in Moscow on Nov. 7-9, since representatives from the North Korean and American governments were present, but those representatives didn’t end up meeting. We’re stuck in an unfortunate situation where North Korea and the US continue to waste time, unable to find an excuse to restart negotiations.

In apparent frustration about the protracted deadlock in negotiations, North Korea made some threatening remarks to the US during the Moscow conference.

“The window for opportunity is closing bit by bit every day,” said Jo Chol-su, director-general of the North American department at North Korea’s Foreign Affairs, mentioning the end-of-the-year deadline once again.

“We maintain our position that the issue should be resolved through dialogue and negotiations. But the most important point is that [those efforts] should bear fruits,” Jo said, adding that “dialogue for the sake of dialogue is meaningless.”

With these remarks, Pyongyang made it clear that it doesn’t intend to change its current position, namely that the negotiations can’t move forward until the US offers a “sincere response.”

After declaring a rupture in working-level negotiations that were held with the US in Stockholm early last month, North Korea has issued a number of statements — signed by Kim Kye-gwan, an advisor to the North’s Foreign Ministry, and Kwon Jong-gun, roving ambassador for the Foreign Ministry — that criticize the US’ hostile policy and reiterate the need for “new calculations.”

North Korea’s anxiety is evidenced by its issuing of three statements in the space of two weeks. But the US, at least thus far, hasn’t made any significant reaction. It’s obvious that US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are too distracted by the impeachment inquiry sweeping Washington to concentrate on negotiations with North Korea.

There are just 50 days left until the end of the year, which North Korea has declared is the deadline. Since that deadline was announced publicly by its supreme leader, the North is unlikely to go back on its word. That said, it shouldn’t just run out the clock. This is no time for North Korea and the US to be playing mind games on the sidelines. Both countries need to recognize that time is not on their side. If the year ends without any progress, it could lead to consequences that no one wants.

While the South Korean government already has its hands full with the termination of its GSOMIA intelligence-sharing agreement with Japan and its defense cost-sharing negotiations with the US, it shouldn’t take a hands-off approach in the North Korea-US negotiations. Until a solution is found for the denuclearization talks, there’s unlikely to be any progress in inter-Korean relations either. There’s a critical need for Seoul to play a creative role as a “facilitator” in order to achieve a breakthrough in the North Korea-US standoff.

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