“Abandonment, Peace, and Normalization”

On May 15, U.S. Ambassador to Korea Alexander Vershbow said, “The eventual abandonment of nuclear programs and facilities of North Korea, a peace agreement on Korean peninsula, and normalization of U.S.-North Korean relations are all closely linked. Therefore, they should be done in a parallel way.”

In the “2007 Seoul-Washington Forum,” Mr. Vershbow unveiled America’s roadmap for the normalization of the relationship between the U.S. and North Korea. He said, “Normalization of the relationship between the two countries and peace is only possible only when the North is denuclearized completely. It will be impossible to bring peace and normalize the relationship first and then denuclearize the North.”

Also, the U.S. ambassador said, “The elimination of North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and the lifting of sanctions is the middle step toward achieving normalization and peace.” He added, “The declaration of the end of the Korean War by the two Koreas and the U.S. in last November is similar to a peace agreement.” This means that the U.S. government is not considering a declaration of the end of the war as a middle step toward the normalization of the relationship between the U.S. and the North before signing a peace agreement.

Meanwhile, Mr. Vershbow shared his thoughts about the FTA too. Currently, the U.S. is showing signs of wanting a renegotiation of the KORUS FTA. He said, “The U.S. and Korea should cooperate together in order to reflect the current standards of labor and the environment.” His remarks implied a need for a renegotiation.

Recently, the U.S. administration and the U.S. Congress agreed on accepted standards of labor and environment, which should be included in the FTA negotiations.

gun43@donga.com