N. Korea responds to Cheney's remarks
War of words escalates as Rumsfeld heads to a regional security conference.
North Korea suggested Thursday that recent comments by Vice President Dick Cheney indicate the
US is not interested in continuing the six-party talks aimed at resolving the standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons programs.
"What Cheney uttered at a time when the issue of the six-party talks is high on the agenda is little short of telling the DPRK not to come out for the talks," the North's spokesman said. Kim Jong Il's regime has said that Cheney's remarks reaffirm its decision to stay away from talks.
The North called Cheney a '
bloodthirsty beast' on Thursday, in response to Cheney saying Mr. Kim was irresponsible and ran a police state, reports
Reuters.
On
CNN's "Larry King Live" Monday night, Cheney called Kim "one of the
world's more irresponsible leaders," called North Korea "a police state," and accused Kim of maintaining one of the most heavily militarized societies in the world. He also said most North Koreans lived "in abject poverty and stages of malnutrition."
The North said Thursday that remarks by Cheney, "boss of the hawkish hard-liners, revealed the true colors of this group steering the implementation of the policy of the Bush administration."
Cheney's remarks, together with the recent US deployment of 15 Stealth bombers to South Korea were no doubt part of the "new obstacles" that prompted North Korea to
demand the South reduce by more than two-thirds a delegation that will visit Pyongyang for June 14-17 ceremonies to mark the fifth anniversary of the historic 2000 inter-Korean summit accord.
The two Koreas agreed last Saturday that Seoul would send 70 government officials and 615 civilian representatives for the joint celebrations, but Pyongyang requested that Seoul send only 30 government officials and 190 civilian members. "The request is
expected to undermine Seoul's efforts to normalize strained inter-Korean relations," according to the
Korea Herald.
Park Jae-kyu, a main architect of the June 15, 2000 inter-Korean summit, told
The Korea Times that the US and North Korea could resolve the nuclear issue peacefully if both sides
made a few concessions.
I believe President Roh should persuade President Bush to take a conciliatory attitude to the level that, even if it is not 100 percent satisfactory to the North, it could convince [Kim] to return to the talks without anxiety. ...
The North needs to accept the US demand for a prior dismantling of its nuclear weapons program and then make demands of its own to the US. ... The US, for its part, also needs to realize that putting pressure on the North and pursuing change or collapse of [Kim's] regime is counter-productive.
Park, the unification minister under the Kim Dae-jung administration, which adopted the "sunshine policy" of engaging the reclusive North, also said: "The North will return to the nuclear talks if the US shows no intention of pursuing regime change and some willingness to give economic assistance."
Meanwhile, the South Korean daily
Chosun Ilbo reports that a
US Senate Republican Policy Committee report says "a nuclear test by North Korea could be followed by the two Koreas forming a confederation and demanding that US troops leave the Korean Peninsula."
Issues surrounding North Korea's nuclear program are likely to be discussed this weekend when US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and regional defense ministers meet at the
Asia Security Conference, an annual forum in Singapore.
In a keynote speech at the forum, South Korean Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung will deliver South Korea's stance on weapons of mass destruction, the defense ministry in Seoul said.
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