The final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea is a primary requirement for the US and South Korea to bring an end to the Korean War, a US nuclear envoy said during his visit to Seoul on Monday.

Stephen Biegun, US Special Representative for North Korea, and his South Korean counterpart Lee Do-hoon underscored the need of close coordination amid concerns about a possible discord between the allies over the pace of inter-Korean developments.

“We have a shared goal here, which is to bring an end to 70 years of war and hostilities on the Korean Peninsula,” Biegun said at the start of his meeting with Lee. “And the primary requirement for us to get to the end point is to achieve final, fully, verified denuclearization of North Korea. I am absolutely confident this is within reach.”

The statement has been seen as a message to South Korea, which is seeking sanctions exemptions to push for inter-Korean projects, and to North Korea, which has not responded to the US’ requests for working-level and senior-level talks aimed at moving forward on denuclearization.

“Because the denuclearization process is at a critical juncture we need to meet up as often as possible to make sure there is no daylight whatsoever between our two allies,” Lee said.

Biegun met with presidential chief of staff Im Jong-suk later the same day and plans to meet with Unification Minister Cho Myong-gyon on Tuesday, where they are expected to discuss the issue of sanctions exemptions for the Koreas reconnecting railways and roads.

Before his meeting with Lee, he also had a meeting with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha where they underscored the need for close coordination and consultations in achieving denuclearization.

South Korea has pushed for broader cross-border cooperative projects, saying they will accelerate North Korea’s denuclearization. Seoul insists it will pursue inter-Korean projects without violating the international sanctions on the North, but there have been concerns over the rapid development in inter-Korean relations without tangible progress on denuclearization.

The North is increasingly raising complaints with South Korea for a lack of progress on inter-Korean projects, which cannot dramatically proceed without the lifting of sanctions.

When asked about the slow progress in the cross-border rail project, Unification Minister Cho said there were “areas where we and the US side have slightly different views.”

“But it’s not to the extent that the US is opposed to inter-Korean projects,” Cho told a parliamentary audit Monday.

Biegun’s visit came at a time when denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang appear to be at a standstill.

Pyongyang demands sanctions relief and an end-of-war declaration in return for goodwill gestures it has taken, such as the dismantling of its Punggye-ri nuclear site and a moratorium on nuclear and missile tests, while Washington wants the North to take more concrete denuclearization steps first.

The US offered to hold working-level and senior-level talks with North Korean officials to move forward on denuclearization and prepare for a second summit with the North, but it has yet to receive a response, according to diplomatic sources here.

With no signs of imminent working-level and senior-level talks between Washington and Pyongyang, US President Donald Trump reiterated he will not rush into an agreement with North Korea.

“The only thing they say is, it’s not moving fast enough. They’ve been working on this for 70 years. I’ve been doing it for four months,” Trump said at a campaign rally in Illinois on Saturday night, touching on concerns over a lack of progress on denuclearization.

“I can only say the relationship (between the US and North Korea) is really good and we’re really in good shape and they’re in really good shape and they’re happy and we’re happy. And if it takes long, I don’t care. I tell my people, I couldn’t care how long.”

While Trump strikes a positive tone about North Korea, his administration maintains the pressure campaign on the North. It imposed sanctions Thursday on the Singapore-based director of a commodities company accused of laundering money for North Korea through the US financial system.

North Korea, on the other hand, continues to move closer to Russia and China, permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, in an apparent attempt to secure their support for sanctions relief.

Speculations are rising over a possible visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to Russia soon.
 
(laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)