By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
The top U.S. diplomat here said Thursday the administration of President Barack Obama is ready to take steps to improve ties with North Korea, if the communist state lives up to its denuclearization pledge.
Speaking at a forum in Seoul, Ambassador Kathleen Stephens urged the North to return to six-party disarmament talks without any conditions. The event was organized by the Far East Broadcasting Company.
She made it clear that Pyongyang's demand for creating a peaceful regime on the Korean Peninsula and the removal of U.N. economic sanctions on Pyongyang would only be available after it rejoins the six-way forum that involves the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia.
The U.S. government will also provide economic aid to North Korea if it fulfills its commitment to removing its nuclear weapons program, she said.
The multilateral denuclearization framework has been stalled for almost a year after North Korea boycotted the talks to protest sanctions imposed by the U.N. following Pyongyang's long-range missile firing.
"We want to see a peaceful unification, one that is consistent with the hopes of the Korean people. But that means no nuclear weapons in North Korea and no nuclear weapons in South Korea," Stephens said. "We need to find a way to hasten the day when Korea will be whole, free and at peace."
The two Koreas remain technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
Diplomatic efforts have been in full swing to revive momentum for reopening the six-party talks.
In particular, reports said North Korea's nuclear envoy Kim Kye-gwan will visit the United States soon, triggering speculation that he could hold a bilateral meeting with his U.S. counterpart.
U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said Wednesday that his government has received inquiries about granting a visa to Kim for an academic seminar in New York this month.
"There has been discussion about an invitation for him to come to the United States, a private invitation. I think there have been inquiries about providing him a visa. We've made no decision on that," the spokesman said.
Kim is also scheduled to visit New York for another meeting with Sung Kim, special U.S. envoy for the six-party talks, on the sidelines of the seminar, the reports said.
The goal of the meeting would be to facilitate the reopening of the six-party talks on the North's denuclearization, diplomatic sources in Seoul said.