Intensive Discussion on U.S.-DPRK Relations After U.S. Presidential Election

It was reported that the authorities of the Disarmament and Peace Research Institute, an affiliated organization to North Korea`s Foreign Office, visited the United States and had informal contacts with former high-ranking U.S. officials, working-level assistants of the Congress, and scholars.

Some observe that North Korea dispatched a "field investigation" to the U.S. as this visit was made about three weeks before the U.S. presidential election, and it was known that they conveyed the possibility of resolving the North Korea nuclear issue and normalizing diplomatic relations between the North and the U.S.

The institute is comprised of North Korea`s ex- and incumbent officials of its foreign office, just like South Korea`s Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security.

Four officials visited the U.S., including Kim Myong Gil, Choe Kang Il, Jong Tong Hak, and Ri Hak Chol, and one of them, Kim Myong Gil, is known to be the person who assisted Cho Myong Rok, vice-chairman of North Korea`s Defense Committee, when he visited the U.S. in 2000.

One of the attendees said that these officials focused on questions about the coming administration`s North Korea policy and the chances for the normalization of diplomacy between the North and the U.S. during the closed meeting held at Stanford University on October 13 where ex-Secretary of Defense William Perry and ex-assistant secretary of the State Department Michael Armacost attended.

The attendee said, "The party from the U.S. made it clear that the U.S. will pursue one single objective, that is, `denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula` no matter who becomes the next president. In particular, ex-Secretary Perry stressed this point in a very firm tone."

Subsequently, North Korean officials had an informal meeting with scholars of the Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University on October 15. Many working-level assistants of Congress attended this meeting.

One of the U.S. attendees conveyed, "I understand that discussions on diplomacy and security, and nuclear-related issues were held at Stanford and Harvard, respectively."

Another attendee said, "It is encouraging that North Korean officials and former high-ranking U.S. officials and working-level assistants of the Congress met at one place. We are paying attention to the possibility of reopening the dialogue channel between the U.S. and North Korea, which has been stiffened."

Jung-Ahn Kim credo@donga.com