Seoul vows to mention nuclear issue during inter-Korean talks

The South Korean government reportedly decided to mention North Korean nuclear issue at inter-Korean talks on Wednesday and Thursday and is said to be agonizing over the degree at which the issue will be addressed.

“Whatever we discuss with North Korea, everything will be linked to nuclear weapons if dialogue gradually deepens,” a government source said on Monday. “As the issue will naturally surface, it will be mentioned in whatever form.” It means that even if denuclearization is not included in the official agenda, North Korea’s denuclearization and the need to resume the six-way talks could be mentioned in the course of conversation. The source also suggested that the U.S. and Chinese leaders’ strong declaration on the principle of "no tolerance for the North’s nuclear weapons" at their summit on Friday also added momentum to Seoul’s decision.

However, not a few insiders within the South Korean government are opposed to the plan, and instead argue Seoul should first focus on agenda items in which the two Koreas can find common ground, given that the high-level talks are to take place for the first time in six years. They claim that the South should first bring inter-Korean dialogue back on track to some degree by discussing for now the normalization of the inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex and the resumption of South Koreans’ tours to the North’s Mount Kumgang, before leading the dialogue to denuclearization.

“Whom North Korea will send as delegates will be the primary ground to determine Pyongyang’s truthfulness for the talks,” said a source of South Korean Foreign Ministry. “I understand that by examining this, the government will adjust the extent to which it will address the denuclearization issue.”

Pyongyang has been openly stating thus far that it will accept only the U.S. as its negotiating partner in the talks over the nuclear weapons issue. Considering the previous inter-Korean ministerial talks, however, the two Koreas discussed the nuclear issue as well. At their eighth meeting in October 2002, the two Koreas clarified in their agreement that “South and North Korea will proactively cooperate to resolve all issues including the nuclear issue through dialogue.” It was soon after the North admitted to James Kelly, then U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, that it possessed a uranium enrichment program. At that time, the South Korean government said, “As the North had the perception that the nuclear issue was a matter between Pyongyang and Washington, it tried to avoid mentioning the issue in the inter-Korean talks, but it changed its stance at our strong demand and pressure.”

The nuclear issue was also discussed at the 20th inter-Korean ministerial talks held in March 2007, the following year after the North conducted its first nuclear test. At that time, sources in the South Korean government said "We confirmed that inter-Korean dialogue was a useful framework to resolve the nuclear issue."