Kim Jong-in: "Government's North Korea Policy Hard to Maintain... Japan Will Not Accept Kim Jin-pyo's Proposal"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Lee Ji-eun and Lim Chun-han] Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, predicted that while South Korea's diplomatic relations with the United States will remain unchanged under the Biden administration, the government's North Korea policy will be difficult to maintain as is. He also forecasted that Japan will not accept the 'cash payment suspension' proposal by Kim Jin-pyo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea.

On the 24th, at a luncheon meeting hosted by the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club, Chairman Kim responded to a reporter's question, saying, "It will be difficult for the current administration's North Korea policy to be maintained in the same way as before."

He said, "One can only ask whether our Republic of Korea has developed the capability to push for North Korea's denuclearization, but frankly speaking, we do not have that capability," adding, "North Korea is unlikely to respond just because South Korea demands denuclearization."

He continued, stating that North Korea's denuclearization depends on how earnestly the United States pursues it, and added, "Even if the U.S. makes efforts, considering the attitude of Chairman Kim Jong-un so far, I do not think denuclearization will be easily achieved."

He foresaw that there would be no significant change in South Korea's diplomatic relations with the U.S. just because the Biden administration has come into power. He said, "The diplomatic challenges facing the South Korean government depend on the Biden administration's stance on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue," adding, "Unlike the Trump administration, the Biden administration will handle the North Korean nuclear issue through a practical process rather than a top-down approach, so when some possibility of denuclearization is approached, President-elect Biden may meet Kim Jong-un."

Regarding Korea-Japan relations, he said, "It is inevitable to be skeptical whether Japan will accept the proposal that Representative Kim made during his visit to Japan," adding, "Japan will not simply accept it in that form."

This is because Japan refuses to budge from the 1965 Korea-Japan normalization treaty. Chairman Kim advised, "South Korea's relationship with Japan seems unresolved because this issue is excessively linked to domestic circumstances," adding, "To resolve this issue, both sides need to try to move away somewhat from the so-called legal situation and seek other solutions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.