As North Korea and U.S. vie for leverage, nuclear talks likely a long way off
STAFF WRITER
Jun 28, 2021
The North Korean regime and the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden have made their opening gambits in a process that could pave the way for a return to denuclearization talks — but don’t expect much in the way of quick progress.
Last week, the powerful sister of North Korea’s leader poured cold water on the possibility of a quick return to nuclear talks with the United States, delivering a terse statement exactly 100 words long warning Washington that it faced “disappointment” if it believed engagement was a possibility.
This was echoed just a day later by the North’s foreign minister, who said Pyongyang was “not considering even the possibility of any contact with the U.S.” after the recently appointed U.S. envoy to the country, Sung Kim, said he was willing to meet the North Koreans “anywhere, anytime.”
But the North's carefully worded remarks are almost certainly part of a choreographed response to the U.S. offer of unconditional talks as the isolated country looks to increase its leverage — including through weapons tests and bolstered ties with China — while biding its time before making its next move, experts say.
“The North Koreans like to play hard to get,” said Jean Lee, a North Korea expert at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington. “They’re making it clear they won’t be easily wooed, and that it will take more commitment — or concessions — from Washington before they return to negotiations.
“It’s a diplomatic dance, and these are the first steps,” Lee added.
Read full article from the Japan Times.