I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
Trilateral talks to tackle NK nukes
By Kang Hyun-kyung
The chief nuclear negotiators of South Korea, the United States and Japan are likely to meet on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit (EAS) to be held Saturday in Bali, Indonesia.
The EAS is a forum for dialogue on political and economic issues dedicated to bringing stability and peace in the region.
An official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on condition of anonymity that the three sides are pushing the gathering of nuclear envoys to assess the North Korean nuclear weapons program and coordinate policy.
If the meeting is set up, Lim Sung-nam, the South Korean chief nuclear negotiator will meet his Japanese counterpart Shinsuke Sugiyama and Kurt Campbell, the U.S. State Department’s assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs. Campbell is likely to join the possible trilateral meeting on behalf of Glyn Davies, the new chief nuclear negotiator of the United States, as Davies will assume his new role from next month.
The three sides are expected to reaffirm their position that there are necessary steps for North Korea to take to resume the stalled six-party talks.
Earlier, they urged the reclusive nation to allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to return to nuclear sites in the North to inspect activity there. They are also demanding the North suspend its enriched uranium program, which it disclosed to a visiting American nuclear scientist last year.
North Korea claims it has the right to use nuclear energy peacefully, but this was rejected by the international community.
The reports of possible trilateral nuclear discussions comes amid speculation that the stalled six-party talks to end North Korea’s nuclear program will be resumed soon.
The United States and North Korea held a second round of direct talks in Geneva recently but the two didn’t agree on the resumption of multilateral talks.
The Washington-Pyongyang meeting came months after the chief nuclear negotiators of South and North Korea met one-on-one in Bali in June on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum.