“The Six-Party Talks is an Old Story. We Will No Longer Participate.”

North Korea’s deputy U.N. ambassador Han Song Ryol asserted on February 11 that “the six-party talks to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue are over. The essential issue is whether the U.S. will invade North Korea.”

On the same day, during an interview with the APTN, Deputy U.N. ambassador Han answered, concerning the question of the conditions for N.K. to return to the negotiating table, “The six-party talks is an old story. We will no longer participate in the six-party talks.”

Concerning the necessity of U.S.-North Korean bilateral talks, he answered, “The formality of the dialogue is not essential.”

Following, he said, “The essential issue is U.S. policy of whether they plan to attack us or not. It is not about bilateral or multilateral talks. We are not tied to the formality.”

During an interview with NPR, an U.S. public radio show, he stated that “as long as the anti-North Korean U.S. policy continues, the formality of the dialogue is meaningless.”

However, he added, “If the U.S. proposes U.S.-North Korean bilateral talks, we will look at it as a sign of retraction from their anti-North Korean policy,” insinuating his hope to hold bilateral talks with the U.S.

Previously, on February 10, he said, “If the U.S. proposes to go bilateral, we will consider it as a sign of retraction from their anti-North Korean policy. If they refuse to go bilateral, we have no choice but to understand it as an intention of theirs to obliterate the current North Korean regime.”

Soon-Taek Kwon maypole@donga.com