N. Korea-Japan talks end in failure

The 11th round of the North Korea-Japan talks on diplomatic rapprochement held Oct. 30-31 in Beijing, have ended in failure.

The two nations resumed negotiations seven years after the last rupture of bilateral talks and had two rounds of preliminary talks during the interim. For that reason, they had expected some substantial progress in their talks, but their expectations have been rendered naught.

The focal point of their talks was the resolution of the past. Pyongyang demanded compensation, but Tokyo declined to comply with the request and offered economic aid instead. And Japan expounded in detail about the formula of economic collaboration adopted at the 1965 Seoul-Tokyo negotiations on their mutual diplomatic normalization.

The Japanese side had some confidence in resolving the particular question, in view of the fact that the North is suffering economic difficulties and that it did not opposed outright the Japanese suggestion of economic aid.

However, the Pyongyang stance was unexpectedly tough. The North side is learned to have stuck to the demand for Japanese compensation. This is viewed to mean that Pyongyang would not yield its justification of compensation, even if the amount of the Japanese aid is equivalent to the scale of the proposed compensation. Because Tokyo had not prepared other cards than economic aid, it was quite embarrassed and at a loss for counterproposals.

As for North Korea's alleged abduction of some Japanese nationals, it maintained the previous position to deny the allegations. The Japanese side proposed that the North Korean Red Cross, investigating missing Japanese, would give explanations about the outcome of its probe, but the North refused to give a definite response.

The reason that Pyongyang came up with a hard-line stance seems to be stemming from the inter-Korean thaw, the improved North-U.S. relations and the increasing rapprochements with European states. The North might have intended to exact more concessions from Japan, taking advantage of the favorable environment of late.

In Japan, there is rising criticism of its government. Cabinet Administration Minister Yasuo Fukuta told the press Wednesday that some progress had been made in the Beijing talks. Grilled by press over the meaning of "progress," the minister failed to give a clear answer.

The leadership of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, who proposed to offer 500,000 tons of rice to the North anticipating the Pyongyang concessions, was put to a crucial test. Following the resignation of former Cabinet Administration Minister Hidenao Nakagawa over a woman scandal, the prime minister has been further mired on the heels of his media reports concerning his previous compromise formula of settling the abduction case in which the missing Japanese would be found in a third country without connection with the North Korean abduction.

Shim Kyu-Sun ksshim@donga.com