[Editorial] No Time For Showing Off “Half Success” of North Korean Nuclear Problem

The second round of Six-Nations Talks has ended with declarative official statements such as “a nuclear-free Korean peninsula” and “the peaceful settlement of the nuclear problem.” In contrast with the first round of the talks, the practical attitude of the participating countries was brought out in this round. The agreement on holding the third round of the talks and organizing the working group can be assessed as an improved aspect. But, excepting the conventional frame of conference, it seems that the talks were a “half success,” because North Korea and the U.S. could not narrow their differences of opinion.

Because these talks are the starting point of long journey to a comprehensive solution of North Korea’s nuclear problem, we don’t have to have joy and sorrow in quick alternation as to the details of the conference. But the stiffened attitude of North Korea shown through the progress of the conference seems to be a matter of concern. The conflict over Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) which Kim Kye-kwan, the head of the North Korean delegation to this talks, is one of the representative examples. As for the suspicion of Uranium nuclear development which provided the source of the second nuclear crisis in North Korea, future negotiations will not avoid the difficulties if North Korea continues to deny them.

Considering the history of North Korea’s nuclear development, it cannot be easily justified that North Korea cannot abandon the nuclear development for peaceful use. If these peaceful nuclear activities are based on the nuclear facilities in Yongbyon, such as the 5MW class graphite modulator, it is necessary for calling to mind that North Korea’s plutonium development is originated from this facility. In order to obtain a persuasive ability, North Korea’s assertion has to prove that their nuclear development is peaceful through a deliberate verification conducted by the international society.

For the sake of this talk, the government has endeavored a lot, such as preparing the three steps solution. But it is not a proper time to be satisfied with a “half success”. The pivotal point of the future talks is the alteration in North Korea’s attitude. In order to induce this change, government has to drive forward organizing a closer cooperative structure with the Six-Nation Talks’ participating countries such as the U.S., Japan, and China.