US Resumes Dialogue With NK But Warrants Must-Verifications

The U.S. established a basic plan to verify all the agreements and dialogues with North Korea and to carry out the plan step by step in accordance with North Korea.

In particular, the U.S. is to re-negotiate, if necessary, any agreement between the Clinton administration and the North from the beginning, including the U.S.-North agreement on the North Korean missiles.

Therefore, when the North does not accept the demands of the U.S. for the verification, not only the North-U.S. relationship is anticipated to stagnate but also the inter-Korean relationship will consequently be influenced by the new North-U.S. relationship.

The U.S. explained its new North Korean policy to South Korea and Japan at the meeting of the Trilateral Coordination and Oversight Group (TCOG) in Honolulu, Hawaii, on May 26 and 27.

However, the U.S. is to resume an unconditional dialogue with the North next month. Jack Prichard, the U.S. special envoy for the Korean peace talks, and the North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye-Gwan are reported to meet at the first meeting under the Bush administration.

In terms of the Geneva agreement, the U.S. still sustains the possibility of re-consideration, saying ``With the condition that North will follow the agreement, the U.S. presently supports the Geneva agreement. North Korea also has to take part in the necessary measures to carry out the agreement successfully.``

The three nations expressed their ``strong support for South Korea`s policy of reconciliation and cooperation with North Korea and President Kim Dae-Jung`s leading role in resolving inter-Korean issues `` in their joint press release.

They also mentioned their hopes for a second inter-Korean summit between South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, which would contribute to a substantial reduction of tension in the Korean peninsula.

The related departments of the Korean government is to discuss about the new U.S. policy and will deliver the South`s final position to the U.S. before the U.S. confirms its final plan.

Boo Hyung-Kwon bookum90@donga.com