Bush’s Roadmap Proposal to North Korea Intended to Test Kim Jong-il

The flexible attitude of the U.S. government during the just-ended third round of six-nation talks aimed at solving the North Korean nuclear problem will serve as a test to see whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is a reliable figure, according to a statement from a high-level U.S. official reported yesterday in the Japanese newspaper Nihongeizai Shimbun.

Although the concession of the U.S. government was due to the direct instructions of the U.S. President George W. Bush, this newspaper reported that the Bush administration can retract their offer at anytime should Kim fail the test.

According to the U.S. official, President Bush listened carefully during the summit talks between the U.S. and Japan held on June 8, at which Japanese Premier Koizumi Junichiro urged direct talks between North Korea and the United States. Koizumi said such talks were warranted by the attitude shift of North Korea.

After wrapping up the talk, Bush indicated to his advisers that the U.S. will “consider what we can offer if North Korea discloses its nuclear plan and agrees to carry out a complete renunciation of its nuclear program.”

The official explained that “the finalized draft from the U.S. side has been prepared with a lengthy and close examination of the details.”

It has been passed on that President Bush also indicated that the term “freezing,” or halting, which was inserted into the failed agreement between North Korea and the United States in 1994, would not be enough this time. He called for allowing North Korea a short period of preparation for dismantling its nuclear program, and for suspending the supply of crude oil at any time, should North Korea fail to fulfill the promise.

This newspaper also reported that the South Korean government has requested to the U.S. side that an earnest solution be suggested at the six-nation talks.

Hardliners in the Ministry of National Defense are known to have criticized these developments, saying “it can give a false signal to North Korea.”

The newspaper concluded that setting forth a concrete proposal to North Korea is a positive step for the Bush administration, which has not even recognized the North Korean regime as a suitable negotiating partner thusfar.

Won-Jae Park parkwj@donga.com