“[The United States] remains very much committed to [the] denuclearization of North Korea,” U.S. Department of State Special Representative for North Korea Policy Ambassador Sung Kim said recently to the international press during a visit to Beijing, China.
“Russia remains committed to the Six-Party Process and to our shared goal of denuclearization,” Ambassador Kim told the press. “China is also very committed to the denuclearization of North Korea.”
The United States has close cooperation and coordination with China on many aspects concerning North Korea policy, which include sanctions enforcement.
“We have made it very clear publicly that we are open to engagement, [and to] substantive dialogue with North Korea about the issue of denuclearization,” Ambassador Kim said. “The question is not what we are willing to do . . . the question is whether the North Koreans are ready for any serious and productive discussion on the nuclear issue.”
In an earlier press conference in Tokyo, Japan, Ambassador Kim said that Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States stand united “in our common pursuit of the denuclearization of North Korea.”
“We agreed that it is important for us to continue to enforce our sanctions in light of North Korea’s continued violation of international obligations and commitments,” he said. “North Korea needs to demonstrate its commitment to denuclearization in a concrete manner before we can resume any serious negotiations.”
“We continue to believe that China has a very important role to play. They are the chair of the Six-Party Talks,” Ambassador Kim emphasized. “They have strong historical ties with North Korea, and we do expect China will exercise its leadership and use its leverage on North Korea to persuade North Korea back to the path of denuclearization.”
Ambassador Kim indicated that there is a strong consensus among not just the three parties -- the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea -- but also among the five parties, including China and Russia, that North Korea must demonstrate its commitment to denuclearization in a concrete manner before any serious negotiations can be resumed.
