A Russian Special Envoy for the North Korean Nuclear Problem Visits North Korea

While there were talks of related counties such as the US-China and China-Russia to solve the North Korean nuclear problems going on, the Russian Government announced on the 16th that the Russian Assistant Foreign Minister would visit Pyongyang between 18~21, propose a general compromise, and plan to arbitrate the solution for the North Korean nuclear threat.

The Spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexander Yakovenko said, “The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov is planning to discuss about the solution for the North Korean nuclear problem with Chinese officials in Beijing on the 17th and visit North Korea on the 18th,” and “at the Russia-North Korea Talk, various issues including the general compromise proposed by Russia will be discussed.”

In relation to this, the General Secretary of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed El Baradei said on the 15th, “Russia will play an ideal role for arbitrating the diplomacy around the North Korean nuclear problem.”

The US Assistant Secretary of State in charge of East Asia and Pacific, James Kelly said before leaving Singapore after finishing the conference schedule with Chinese diplomats, “The North Korean nuclear problem solving procedure will be processed very slowly.”

In the meantime, the US White House commented about North Korean assertion that the American proposal to talk was to manipulate the international public opinion on the 15th, “It is regrettable, but we are still waiting for the official response.”

The White House Spokesperson Ari Fleischer said that after receiving a question about the criticism of North Korea during a regular briefing by saying, “It is very difficult to read North Korea, North Korea makes seditious comments, and many comments of them are contradictory.”

The Washington Post analyzed about that on the 16th, “Because of The North Korean refusal to the proposal of the President George W Bush, not many options left for the US administration to choose.”

sechepa@donga.com