'Message' to U.S. In North's Pause

Home > National > Politics

print dictionary print

'Message' to U.S. In North's Pause

Visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said that United States "took positive note" of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's statement that he will maintain Pyongyang's missile test moratorium until 2003.

"I think it was a good common sense by Chairman Kim Jong-il. We thought it was a message to us and others," Mr. Armitage said in an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo. (Interview text, Page 3.) The U.S. administration is "about to start" talks with North Korea on the reduction of missiles and weapons of mass destruction, he said.

Without elaborating on the type of verification and monitoring of agreements sought by the United States, Mr. Armitage said the administration's North Korean policy, due out in a few weeks, must be one which the U.S. Congress will support. A basic premise, he said, is to leave North Korea alone as long as Pyongyang does not export terrorism or threaten the South.

He objected to a description of President Kim's expressions of understanding for the U.S. missile defense program as "pro forma." The missile plan is one of four elements of the new American strategic framework that he described to the president during their meeting Wednesday. The other elements are non-proliferation, counter-proliferation and unilateral nuclear arms reductions. President Kim, in a meeting Wednesday with the visiting delegation, urged the United States to resume its dialogue with the North.

Mr. Armitage said the United States asks for no specific actions by Seoul in connection with its new defense policy, although he said he was surprised that the unilateral nuclear arms reduction proposals had not found more favor here. He suggested that the United States would favor publicity and diplomatic pressure rather than military action to stem the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Some observers in Seoul, however, said the unfolding U.S. position on counter-proliferation should be watched carefully.

Some civic groups and individual demonstrators continued to protest the visit Thursday. Mr. Armitage and his entourage were met by egg-hurling demonstrators in front of the Grand Hyatt hotel, where they stayed during their 30-hour visit to Seoul. The visitors left Thursday afternoon for India.

"I've been in and out of Korea; I came here first in 1967. So I can remember when local sensitivities were really high," Mr. Armitage said of the demonstrators. "My mission here is to talk about defense. I'm delighted that you and I live in societies where people feel free to say whatever they want to say on the street."


--------------------------------------------------------------------

'I think it was good common sense by Chairman Kim Jong-il,' Armitage said of the extension of the freeze on missile tests.


by Kim Ji-soo

Log in to Twitter or Facebook account to connect
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
help-image Social comment?
s
lock icon

To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.

Standards Board Policy (0/250자)