US shows willingness for flexible denuke talks

Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul, left, shakes hands with U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun at the start of their meeting at the State Department, Washington D.C., Tuesday (KST). Yonhap

By Kim Yoo-chul

Washington remains flexible regarding how it supports talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea and the Korean Peninsula, Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul said in Washington D.C., Tuesday (KST).

Speaking to the South Korean media after his meeting with U.S. special representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, Kim suggested “many creative and flexible ideas,” such as the resumption of the Mount Geumgang tourism project, to advance the denuclearization talks.

“I explained the South Korean government's ideas on how to improve inter-Korean relations and how improvements would affect the Washington-Pyongyang nuclear dialogue with a high positivity,” the minister told reporters at the State Department. The Unification Ministry in Seoul confirmed the minister's remarks.

“It was more than a brainstorming session as we got into detail about what types of concessions will begin taking shape. Biegun responded the United States is reviewing lots of options for the eventual success of the denuclearization talks with North Korea,” the minister added. The Kim-Biegun meeting was the first since Kim took the ministerial position.

But the minister didn't delve into specifics of his meeting with the U.S. government official. The minister declined to elaborate on the “creative and flexible approaches” he mentioned during his meeting with Biegun.

“We've exchanged views on various issues but very important key points will be touched upon between U.S. and Pyongyang nuclear negotiators in the upcoming working-level talks. However, I can't tell you more for the time being,” the minister said.

A few weeks ago, the United States and North Korea failed to reach agreements during working-level nuclear disarmament talks between them. North Korea said Washington's nuclear negotiating team failed to meet its expectations. Its leader Kim Jong-un ordered the demolition of the South-invested structures and facilities on Mount Geumgang, a rare symbol of the inter-Korean economic project.

Senior North Korean officials issued statements saying the North's patience was running out, and Kim Jong-un's supervised large-scale military drills are seen by many political analysts in Seoul as a display of defiance and a message for the United States to return the negotiating table.

On Sunday, Washington and Seoul decided to indefinitely postpone a joint military exercise as an “act of good will” toward Pyongyang and right after the decision, the U.S. President Donald Trump in a tweet urged the North's Kim to “act quickly, get the deal done.” A senior North Korean diplomat Choe Son-hui flew to Russia, one of the North's long-time economic and political backers, for possible consultations ahead the restart of its denuclearization dialogue with Washington, political experts said. North Korea set the end of the year as its deadline on nuclear talks.