`S. Korea, US to Provide NK With Regime Guarantee`

A leading Japanese daily yesterday said South Korea and the United States are considering providing North Korea with a guarantee of its communist regime if Pyongyang abandons its nuclear program.

The Asahi Shimbun said the offer is aimed at making a breakthrough in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, as it would concretely reflect North Korea’s demand for the withdrawal of a "hostile" policy toward it.

The planned proposal is aimed at leading North Korea to scrap its nuclear program by requiring verifiable and thorough denuclearization in return for guaranteeing the Kim Jong Il government.

Asahi, however, said the U.S. administration is taking a cautious attitude toward acknowledging Kim’s dictatorship because of the strong U.S. rejection of the North Korean system, whose violations of human rights have reached a serious level.

A South Korean official denied that Seoul and Washington have discussed such a proposal, adding that it is not the right time to talk about compensation for the North`s nuclear abandonment at a time when Washington is prepping for direct contact with Pyongyang.

The official said the “comprehensive approach” toward Pyongyang`s nuclear program under consideration by Seoul and Washington is to make an outline for the resolution of the problem, adding what exactly will be negotiated at the possible North Korea-U.S. talks has not been decided.

changkim@donga.com spear@donga.com