[Interview with Ruling and Opposition Diplomats] Wi Seong-rak: "North Korea Must Be Brought to the Dialogue Table Through Snapback"

Lee Jae-myung, Practical Diplomacy Committee Chair of the Democratic Party Candidate's Campaign Headquarters

Ambassador Wi Seong-rak, former Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Russia, is being interviewed at a cafe in Seongdong-gu, Seoul on the 13th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Regarding North Korea's resumption of missile provocations, Wi Seong-rak, Practical Diplomacy Committee Chair of the Lee Jae-myung Democratic Party presidential campaign, stated, "North Korea is unlikely to give up its nuclear weapons easily," and emphasized, "We must use snapback (conditional sanctions relief) to bring North Korea to the negotiating table." While advocating for more ‘flexibility’ on the North Korean nuclear issue, he firmly ruled out ‘pre-sanctions relief.’

On the 28th, in a phone interview with Asia Economy, Chair Wi said, "The snapback that Candidate Lee talks about is not conditional pre-sanctions relief but an agreement on simultaneous actions."

Although the concept of ‘snapback’ is commonly understood as ‘lifting sanctions first and then reinstating them if proper measures are not taken,’ the snapback proposed by Candidate Lee’s camp follows the principle of simultaneous actions.

Furthermore, Chair Wi explained that a ‘peace track’ such as a ‘declaration to end the war’ is necessary to bring North Korea to the negotiating table. He said, "To achieve denuclearization, besides sanctions pressure, incentives, and persuasion, North Korea’s security concerns must also be considered," adding, "The ‘peace track,’ which includes concepts such as permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, ending the state of war, normalization of relations, and building military trust, must operate alongside the denuclearization track."

He criticized the foreign and security policy pledges of Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party candidate, for lacking a ‘peace track.’ Chair Wi said, "One part of the peace track is the declaration to end the war, but Candidate Yoon tries to deny the ‘peace track’ itself." Recently, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, targeted Candidate Lee on his Facebook by calling him "a candidate who keeps repeating only the declaration to end the war." However, Chair Wi added that it is "too early to say" whether the declaration to end the war will be inherited.