US putting effort into 'parallel' North Korea approach

U.S. President Donald Trump listens to Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a joint press conference at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, May 27. AFP-Yonhap

NK blames Bolton as 'war monger and defective human product'

By Kim Yoo-chul

The United States is looking at pursuing a “simultaneous and in parallel” approach to thew denuclearization of North Korea, a possible move toward the step-by-step approach Pyongyang has long advocated, Cheong Wa Dae sources said Monday.

“To break the impasse in denuclearization talks, Washington is apparently putting more effort into pursuing a simultaneous and in parallel approach to the North Korea nuclear issue. Reaching an agreement between the leaders of the Koreas and the United States on how to define the end state of the denuclearization roadmap is worth exploring. Then, an incremental approach may follow,” one source said on condition of anonymity.

Before the second U.S.-North Korea summit in February this year, U.S. officials had hinted at their openness to a phased approach, whereby North Korea dismantles its nuclear weapons program in stages as Washington provides reciprocal, “measured” incentives. The Hanoi summit, however, failed to produce results. The summit had been widely viewed as a “good opportunity” to uncover each side's preferred conditions and prerequisites to advance the process.

“The United States hopes North Korea will no longer play the ambiguity game with impunity. As North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been endorsing U.S. President Donald Trump even after the breakdown in Hanoi, one of the main topics to be discussed at Trump's upcoming meeting with President Moon Jae-in next month will be how to reach a consensus between the allies for a realistic approach to break the standoff and reach an agreement on an updated definition of complete denuclearization,” another source said.

“It is unlikely the North will present a plan for the end state of denuclearization. If Pyongyang were trapped in such a promise, it would lose its leverage in the nuclear diplomacy. In taking the simultaneous and parallel approach, Washington can check the progress of denuclearization with Pyongyang expecting to get some advantages,” former South Korean Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun said.

South Korean lawmakers who came home last week, after meetings with senior U.S. government officials and opinion leaders in Washington, claimed they were told that taking an incremental approach on the issue was a realistic option.

Trump, currently in Japan, played down the significance of recent North Korean missile launches saying the tests didn't bother him. Meanwhile, his security adviser John Bolton told reporters in Tokyo he has “no doubt” that the recent missile launches had breached United Nations Security Council resolutions banning ballistic missile tests.

“I have confidence that Chairman Kim will keep his promise to me,” Trump tweeted on Sunday (KST). The remarks also came after the North reaffirmed its preference for continuing “top-down” nuclear diplomacy with Trump, after its state-run media published a scathing article targeting top Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden.

The article published by the Korea Central News Agency contained bombastic language and also included pointed, insulting remarks about the former U.S. vice president and references to the controversy over how he has interacted with women. Last week in Philadelphia, Biden said, “Are we a nation that embraces dictators and tyrants like Putin and Kim Jong-un?”

Trump said he was “in no rush” for denuclearization. More specifically, political analysts said the North Korean leadership doesn't want to see a radical shift in U.S. policy, or they would have accused Washington of moving the goalposts.

Rather, North Korea blamed U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Bolton for the increasing hostility. On Monday, North Korea called Bolton a “war monger” and “defective human product.”

Trump refused Kim Jong-un's offer in Hanoi to dismantle his Yongbyon nuclear complex in exchange for the partial lifting of sanctions.

Christopher Hill, a chief U.S. negotiator with North Korea between 2005 and 2008, argued recently; “Trump should have a close look at the North Koreans' offer and tell his advisers to stop squabbling with each other and start planning for the next steps, based on accepting the offer and building on it. Dismantling a major facility under the watchful eyes of U.S. and perhaps other international technicians would represent a sign that the denuclearization of North Korea is indeed underway, and not just a marketing ploy.”