Blinken: "The Ball Is in North Korea's Court... Ready for Diplomatic Engagement"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken emphasized resolving the North Korean nuclear issue through diplomacy and urged North Korea to respond in his first interview following the South Korea-U.S. summit.

In an interview with ABC on the 23rd (local time), Secretary Blinken stated that President Joe Biden’s decision was "the best opportunity to achieve the goal of total denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula by engaging North Korea diplomatically."

He also emphasized that this is a cautious and coordinated approach seeking progress toward denuclearization goals, rather than pursuing an all-at-once settlement.

He stressed that now it is North Korea’s turn to respond to the U.S. position. Secretary Blinken said, "We are waiting and watching to see if North Korea truly wants to engage. The ball is in North Korea’s court."

Earlier, on the 21st, Presidents Moon Jae-in and Biden, in a joint statement following their first South Korea-U.S. summit, referenced the 2018 Panmunjom Declaration by the inter-Korean leaders and the Singapore Joint Statement by the North Korea-U.S. leaders, reaffirming their commitment to denuclearization through dialogue and diplomacy.

In particular, President Biden surprised many at the South Korea-U.S. summit press conference by announcing the appointment of Sung Kim, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, as the U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, a position that had been vacant since Biden’s inauguration in January.

By appointing a professional diplomat fluent in Korean as the Special Representative for North Korea, the U.S. sent a signal that it is ready to begin negotiations with North Korea. This decision broke expectations that a human rights envoy, which could provoke North Korea, would be appointed first, instead prioritizing the selection of a negotiation partner.

Secretary Blinken’s remarks on this day can also be seen as a reiteration of the call for North Korea to take a seat at the negotiating table, following the South Korea-U.S. summit, and a demand for diplomatic meetings at the working level.

In particular, Secretary Blinken said, "Although North Korea continues to engage in actions clearly prohibited by the UN, and sanctions remain in place, we are prepared to pursue this diplomatically."

He reiterated, "We are ready to do diplomacy," adding, "The question is whether North Korea is ready for that."

This is interpreted as a hint that the U.S. may consider cards such as sanctions relief depending on North Korea’s actions.

Secretary Blinken also pointed out that past administrations’ different approaches, including ‘no policy to no policy’ and ‘all or nothing,’ were reviewed but none were effective. This is understood as an intention to try a new approach, given that the Obama administration’s strategic patience and the Trump administration’s ‘top-down’ approach through summits both failed.

However, when asked whether the U.S. should accept North Korea as a nuclear-armed state, Secretary Blinken answered, "We are not doing that, nor should we."

He acknowledged that the North Korean nuclear issue is difficult, noting that previous U.S. administrations tried to resolve it but no one succeeded, and that the nuclear program has developed and become more dangerous over time, admitting that the nuclear threat has actually expanded even during the North Korea-U.S. negotiation process.

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