Biden Backs Engagement With N. Korea
By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
Joseph Biden, a Washington lawmaker chosen as U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama's running mate, brings a wealth of knowledge on Korea-U.S. relations and the nuclear standoff in North Korea.
Biden, who has served in the U.S. Senate for the past 36 years and is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, may take on a central role in addressing future Korea-U.S. relations and Pyongyang's denuclearization, should Obama from the Democratic Party be elected to the White House in November.
According to Yonhap, Obama's vice presidential pick Biden favors a pro-engagement stance toward North Korea. In the past, he has publicly criticized President George W. Bush for his hawkish approach toward Pyongyang.
Biden has remarked that the United States would get better results by engaging North Korea and seeking open dialogue with Pyongyang, rather than by further isolating the regime. Biden has said previously that it is critical to resolve the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula. Last June, he noted that the situation in North Korea was one of the ``three most important things that the next president is going to have to deal with,'' along with Iran and Iraq.
Also last year, he reportedly looked into the possibility of paying an official visit to the North to meet with top officials, Yonhap reported. It said that in March, he sent his policy assistant to Pyongyang to meet senior officials and discuss a number of issues including security concerns as well as efforts to find the remains of American soldiers killed or missing in action during the Korean War.
According to reports, Biden's pro-engagement stance toward North Korea is in line with the approach embraced by Obama, who said he was willing to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il if it would help resolve regional security concerns and advance the denuclearization effort.
Last month, Biden also chaired a U.S. Senate hearing on Pyongyang's denuclearization progress, which included testimony from Christopher Hill, who represents the United States in the six-party talks.
Biden is also familiar with a number of prominent Korean politicians.
Last month, he met with Rep. Park Jin from the governing Grand National Party to discuss Korea-U.S. alliance issues and find possible ways to speed up North Korea's denuclearization. If Obama wins the White House, there is a good possibility that Biden may play a significant part in formulating Washington's diplomacy toward Seoul, according to Yonhap.