Yomiuri: "Korean Government Tried to Mediate North America Talks During Biegun's Visit but Failed"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] According to a report by Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun on the 22nd, the South Korean government attempted to mediate denuclearization talks between North Korea and the United States following the recent visit of Steven Biegun, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and Special Representative for North Korea, but the effort did not come to fruition.

Yomiuri, citing sources from South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, reported from Seoul that Lee Do-hoon, head of the South Korean Peace Negotiations Office on the Korean Peninsula, proposed during a meeting with Deputy Secretary Biegun during his visit to the U.S. last month, "It would be good to work towards holding a North Korea-U.S. summit. South Korea will actively take on the role of mediator," and although both sides coordinated their intentions, they failed to find common ground.

During Deputy Secretary Biegun's visit to South Korea from the 7th to the 9th, the U.S. side discussed conditions for holding a North Korea-U.S. summit with South Korea, considering the possibility of contacting the North side at Panmunjom. South Korea proposed "persuading North Korea to add denuclearization measures beyond the dismantlement of the Yongbyon nuclear facility, an 'Yongbyon+α' approach." South Korea mentioned the dismantlement of a secret uranium enrichment facility located in Gangseon on the outskirts of Pyongyang as the α beyond Yongbyon, but the U.S. reportedly responded that this alone was insufficient.

The U.S. set a condition demanding the submission of a list revealing the status of the secret missile research facility in Sanum-dong, believed to be where intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are manufactured. Additionally, Yomiuri reported that the U.S. required a comprehensive declaration of all nuclear development plans, allowing the U.S. and international inspection teams to visit the sites in full capacity, and the cessation of all nuclear-related activities and construction of new facilities.

South Korea relayed the U.S. demands to North Korea behind the scenes, but North Korea responded with the position that "without a clear statement on the U.S. economic sanctions against North Korea, North Korea-U.S. dialogue is meaningless," and ultimately, no North Korea-U.S. contact occurred during Deputy Secretary Biegun's visit, Yomiuri reported.

During this visit, Deputy Secretary Biegun conveyed a clear stance that "the South Korea-U.S. working group will continue," and checked South Korea's attempts to independently support North Korea, Yomiuri reported. The South Korea-U.S. working group is a practical consultative body that frequently coordinates issues such as denuclearization, inter-Korean cooperation, and sanctions against North Korea, with Lee Do-hoon and Deputy Secretary Biegun serving as the chief representatives for South Korea and the U.S., respectively.

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