Ex-envoy pessimistic on NK nuclear talks

The former chief South Korean negotiator to the six-party talks to rid North Korea of its nuclear weapons program said Monday he was less optimistic than previously about the prospects for a resumption of the multilateral talks.

Wi Sung-lac, who held the post from February 2009 to October 2011 and now serves as Seoul's top diplomat to Moscow, told reporters in Seoul the chances of improving ties with North Korea have dimmed since the death of Kim Jong-il.

After the first nuclear talks between North Korea and the U.S. since the death of Kim, held in Beijing last week, chief U.S. negotiator Glyn Davies reported "a little bit of progress," while downplaying expectations of any immediate deal with the North's new regime under young leader Kim Jong-un, the youngest son of the late Kim.

Asked about the prospect of reopening six-party talks following the Beijing encounter last week, Wi replied, "It's too early to predict and judge, but I am not optimistic."

Wi held two rounds of nuclear talks with his North Korean counterpart, Ri Yong-ho, last year, laying groundwork that was widely expected to get Pyongyang back to the negotiating table.

Shortly before Kim's death, North Korea and the U.S. appeared to be ready to announce a breakthrough concerning the six-nation talks. North Korea left the six-party talks, which also involve China, Japan and Russia in April 2009 and conducted a second nuclear test a month later.

"I think it is more difficult than before because inter-Korean relations are clogged after the passing of Kim Jong-il," Wi told reporters during a visit to Seoul.

There has been no word from North Korea about the results of the Beijing talks, but Pyongyang stepped up its rhetoric against joint military drills this week by South Korea and the U.S. The drills have been routinely cited by the North's regime as a rehearsal for a northward invasion.

Last week's Beijing meeting offered a rare opportunity to take the pulse of the North's new regime and Davies said he noticed no change in the North's negotiating style, despite the leadership change.

Wi also said North Korea seems to remain stable, at least for now.

"As I observe things that happened in North Korea over the past months, there were no indications of instability," said Wi, who formally took up the post as South Korean ambassador to Russia in November.

"So, there are no circumstances that suggest instability in North Korea," Wi said. (Yonhap)