Fourth round of Six Party nuclear talks?
New diplomatic efforts come as Koreas spar over defense issues.
The Associated Press reported Friday that South Korea has updated it war plan against North Korea. The plan, contained in a South Korean defense
White Paper, says that the United States would
dispatch 690,000 troops and 2,000 warplanes if war breaks out on the Korean peninsula.
AP says the defense paper shows that the South wants to "redefine its stalemate" with the North, and "readjust its alliance" with the US.
"The reinforcement plan reflects a strong US commitment to defending South Korea," the South Korean memo said. Washington and its allies have been trying to end the North's nuclear weapons programs through multinational disarmament talks.
The Voice of America reported that the numbers
contained in the paper would be more than four times the US's current commitment in Iraq.
Kim Tae-woo, a senior fellow at the Korean Institute for Defense Analyses, says that is because a conflict with North Korea would be extremely demanding. "The North Korean military forces are much larger and stronger," he said.
The
Sydney Morning Herald reported Sunday that the US is seeking to transform the 33,000 troops in South Korea from "a trip-wire defensive role against invasion by the North into a regional
rapid reaction force."
On the other hand, the updated White Paper no longer contains 10-year old references to the North as being "the main enemy," although it still refers to the Communist nation as "
a direct military threat."
Then later on Friday,
Agence-France Press reported, North Korea responded by saying that it would turn US bases in the region into "
seas of fire" if war ever broke out on the Korean peninsula.
"There are no limitations in the striking power of our armed force. If US imperialists ignite flames of war, we will strike all their bases first and turn them into a sea of fire," officer Huh Ryong told North Korea's Central Radio monitored by South Korea's Yonhap news agency. The officer also warned that North Korea would "thoroughly" wipe out those who collude with the United States, referring to its allies South Korea and Japan, which host US military bases. Despite the bellicose rhetoric,
The Korean Times reports on Monday that South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and US President George W. Bush have
agreed to restart the six nation talks aimed at resolving the issue of North Korea possessing nuclear weapons. The paper says the chances for talks "brightened" last week when Mr. Bush refrained from making "harsh remarks" against the North during his State of the Union Address.
"President Roh urged all nations participating in the multilateral talks, including Seoul and Washington, to redouble their efforts to realize the six-way talks as soon as possible," Roh's deputy spokesman Kim Man-soo said.
Reuters reports that South Korea's Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon will
visit Washington this week for talks with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about restarting the stalled 'Six Party' talks.
University of California Prof. Tom Plate, director of the Asia Pacific Media Network, writes in the
Korean Times that Bush had a "
very good week" last week. He particularly applauded Bush's decision to play the North Korean issue "low key."
And it is extremely reasonable – and laudable – for the president to have emphasized that the US is seeking that outcome, for now at least, by "working closely with other governments in Asia."
Such diplomatic phraseology is a tremendous feather in the cap not only of the Hu Jintao government in China, which has organized and hosted the Six-Party talks, and, arguably, the Junichiro Koizumi government [Japan], whose PM has unprecedentedly twice visited Pyongyang; but especially to the oft-beleaguered South Korean government ... "
The Hankyoreh, a South Korea daily newspaper, argues in an editorial that both the US and North Korea must make concessions "
in good faith" if peace is to reign over the Korean peninsula.
If the North is going to give up its nuclear program, the US must guarantee the North's system and make appropriate compensation. There must not be a repeat of the same insincerity as in the past, where talks are opened only for there to be no substantial discussion. There has to be firm resolve and a serious attitude about resolving the issue, because without that the future will not be optimistic. The Korean government must be thorough in all it does to make sure this opportunity work. It needs to create a direct channel for convincing the North to act. Most key to what happens next, however, will be a strategic decision on the part of the North.
Channel News Asia reports that Chinese officials will meet this month
with North Korean officials to promote restarting the talks with the South.
Also...
•
China finds Japan hard to manage (
Korean Herald)
•
N. Korea asks for 500,000 tons of fertilizer (
Korean Times)
•
Asia, South Korean navy warns North Korea over sea border dispute (
Asia News)
•
N Koreans arrive for Japan match (
BBC)
• Feedback appreciated. E-mail
Tom Regan
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