N. Korea rejects US attempts to resume talks
Seoul, Washington likely to abolish ‘ working group’
North Korea shot down the hopes of the United States and South Korea for dialogue on inter-Korean cooperation and denuclearization, with Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying Washington had the “wrong” expectations for talks.
“It seems that the U.S. may interpret the situation in such a way as to seek comfort for itself,” Kim said in a statement carried by Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency, Tuesday. “The expectations, which they chose to harbor the wrong way, will plunge them into greater disappointment.”
The statement came after U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in an interview that the North was sending an “interesting signal,” referring to Kim Jong-un’s earlier comment during a Workers’ Party meeting June 17 that Pyongyang should be prepared for both “dialogue” and “confrontation” with the U.S.
Kim Yo-jong’s statement came on the heels of efforts by Seoul and Washington to create a new conciliatory mood between the two Koreas, and Pyongyang and Washington, during the U.S. special envoy’s visit here.
After meeting with his South Korean counterpart Noh Kyu-duk on Monday, special envoy Sung Kim said Washington would engage with Pyongyang “anywhere, anytime without preconditions.”
Kim Yo-jong’s negative stance toward these efforts can be interpreted as the North stating it only wants a dialogue that serves its interests, experts said.
“In some respects, there have been excessively optimistic interpretations of Kim Jong-un’s recent statements regarding dialogue,” said Go Myonghyun,
a senior fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. “The U.S. is offering talks with North Korea while maintaining a firm stance on sanctions and denuclearization, but Pyongyang just wants to talk about sanctions. Kim Yo-jong’s message shows that the two sides’ goals for any talks are polar opposites, and Pyongyang only wants a dialogue that is in its best interests.”
Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Center for North Korean Studies at the Sejong Institute, also said the North had “yet to be prepared for immediate talks with the U.S.”
“During the June 17 Workers’ Party meeting, Kim Jong-un said the North should be prepared both for confrontation and dialogue, and the regime will begin its preparations from now on,” Cheong said. “However, it is difficult to expect the U.S. and North Korea will easily find common ground given their deep rooted distrust. Thus, the U.S. should consider seeking to establish fourway talks involving China.”
In another reconciliatory attempt, South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday that Seoul and Washington had agreed to consider ending their “working group” on North Korea policy, which Pyongyang has condemned as a major hurdle to improving inter-Korean relations.
The group was set up in November 2018 to facilitate a coordinated North Korea approach between Seoul and Washington, as inter-Korean relations seemed to be improving following three summits between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim that year.
The group, however, faced questions as it created setbacks at key conciliatory moments between the two Koreas. In 2019, the two agreed to Seoul providing Tamiflu influenza vaccine to Pyongyang as humanitarian aid, but this foundered after the group’s protracted review on whether trucks transporting the vaccine would violate sanctions on the North.
As it could be difficult for the Korean government to immediately give the undocumented children legal status, Yoon suggested that it should at least come up with ways to provide aid through cooperation with civic groups.
In the case of single foreign parents who face hurdles in attaining stable legal status, Hamilton said, “Easier pathways to citizenship or permanent residence for divorced spouses with Korean children are clearly in the best interest of their children. These pathways need to be attainable, recognizing the difficulties of being a single parent.”