Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Workers' Party of Korea and sister of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un, has once again demanded recognition of North Korea's "status as a nuclear-armed state" while leaving open the possibility of "diplomatic dialogue" with the United States. In response, the South Korean government reaffirmed its support for North Korea-U.S. dialogue but notably did not mention "denuclearization," drawing attention to the background of this omission.
According to the Korean Central News Agency on July 29, Deputy Director Kim issued a statement the previous evening, saying, "The year 2025 is not 2018 or 2019," and emphasized, "Recognition of the undeniable fact that our country’s irreversible status and capability as a nuclear-armed state, as well as the fundamentally changed geopolitical environment, must be a prerequisite for predicting and considering all future developments." This statement was released in the evening following her first message to South Korea since the inauguration of the Lee Jaemyung administration earlier that morning, and was timed to coincide with the morning in Washington, D.C., indicating a back-to-back approach toward the United States.
Deputy Director Kim reiterated, "Any attempt to deny our country's status as a nuclear-armed state will be thoroughly rejected," but also expressed openness to dialogue by saying, "We are open to any option." She further stated, "It would be better to seek alternative channels of contact based on new thinking." This is interpreted as suggesting a shift in the goal of negotiations with North Korea from "denuclearization" to "nuclear arms reduction and freeze." In addition, Kim said, "I do not want to deny that the personal relationship between our head of state and the current U.S. president is not bad," but added, "If the personal relationship between the leaders of North Korea and the United States is put on the same footing as the goal of denuclearization, that would be a mockery."
It is highly unusual for Deputy Director Kim to issue two statements in one day. Regarding this, a presidential office official stated, "Both South Korea and the United States have consistently expressed their openness to dialogue with North Korea for the peaceful resolution of the Korean Peninsula peace and North Korean nuclear issues," and added, "South Korea and the U.S. will continue close communication and cooperation on overall North Korea policy, including the possibility of future North Korea-U.S. dialogue." The official also emphasized, "The government will steadfastly work to create conditions that restore trust between the two Koreas and promote the resumption of North Korea-U.S. talks in an atmosphere of peace." A Unification Ministry official also stated, "We actively support the resumption of North Korea-U.S. talks for peace on the Korean Peninsula and stability in Northeast Asia." However, there was no mention of "denuclearization." This restraint appears to be a strategic move, taking into account the possibility that putting denuclearization at the forefront could cause North Korea to refuse dialogue.
The United States, in response to North Korea's "conditional dialogue" proposal, maintained its previous stance of keeping the door open to communication, while also maintaining "denuclearization" as its negotiation goal. According to reports, a White House official responded to major foreign media inquiries by stating, "President Trump remains open to communicating with Leader Kim (Jong-un) to achieve a fully denuclearized North Korea."
Despite the possibility of resuming North Korea-U.S. dialogue in the future, prospects remain dim as North Korea maintains a hardline stance on denuclearization. Lim Eulchul, professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University, commented on the statement, saying, "U.S. recognition of North Korea as a nuclear-armed state would undermine the nonproliferation regime and alliance trust, and create a dilemma by triggering discussions about nuclear armament in Japan and South Korea." He added, "Even if nuclear arms reduction talks begin, it would be possible to discuss gradual measures such as limiting the number of North Korean nuclear weapons, halting intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests, and preventing nuclear proliferation, but a lack of mutual trust and the complexity of verification mechanisms are expected to make progress difficult."
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