Jung Se-hyun: "If the US Provides American Vaccines, Dealing with North Korea Will Become Easier"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Jeong Se-hyun, Senior Vice Chairman of the Democratic Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, demanded action from the U.S., stating that providing American-made vaccines to North Korea would make it easier to deal with the country.

In an interview with TBS's "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory" on the morning of the 21st, Vice Chairman Jeong said, "(North Korea) does not trust the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine."

Vice Chairman Jeong said, "Perhaps because of evaluations that (Sinopharm's) effectiveness is not that good, they do not trust it," adding, "They are also refusing to accept the COVAX vaccines sent by the World Health Organization (WHO) for fear that opening the door even slightly might cause the virus to spread."

He emphasized the need for U.S. vaccine support. Vice Chairman Jeong said, "We need to see how well the U.S. can technically handle it, but if they provide American-made vaccines, things will probably change," adding, "(If vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna are introduced) it will be easier for the U.S. to deal with North Korea."

He interpreted North Korean General Secretary Kim Jong-un's recent mention of the "food shortage" at the Workers' Party plenary meeting as a message to the U.S. Vice Chairman Jeong said, "The food problem is so urgent that it could be said to have triggered an executive order, and that is exactly what South Korea and the U.S. should closely consult on and use as leverage."

He continued, "Not only should sanctions be lifted, but actual actions should be taken," emphasizing the need for U.S. action by saying, "If they spoke that clearly, they should understand the message." He explained that the U.S. must act before next month’s 11th, which marks the 60th anniversary of the alliance treaty between North Korea and China. By then, China will guarantee various economic compensations in advance, eliminating the leverage the U.S. can exercise.

Vice Chairman Jeong said that General Secretary Kim’s remarks at this plenary meeting emphasized "dialogue." He said, "At the party congress in January, the order was 'strong against strong, preemptive against preemptive' regarding the U.S., but this time it was 'dialogue and confrontation' in that order," adding, "Looking at the current U.S. North Korea policy stance and the discussions from the recent South Korea-U.S. summit, it doesn't seem bad, so from the standpoint of the preemptive principle, we can try to do well."