US Korea Expert: "For Resuming North Korea-US Talks, Biden Should Send a Personal Letter to Kim Jong-un"

President Joe Biden of the United States [Photo by AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] A U.S. expert on the Korean Peninsula has proposed that President Joe Biden send a personal letter to North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un to create momentum for resuming dialogue with North Korea.

Andrew Yeo, a Korea Chair at the Brookings Institution, a U.S. think tank, said this in an op-ed titled "North Korea's villainous behavior will not end on its own," published on the 4th (local time) in the Washington Post (WP).

Yeo, who is of Korean descent, diagnosed that it is only a matter of time before North Korea resumes long-range missile and nuclear tests. He added that the window to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue is closing and emphasized that close cooperation among the three countries?South Korea, the U.S., and Japan?is more important than anything else.

Yeo further suggested that to resume talks with North Korea, President Biden could write a letter to Kim Jong-un showing a desire for tension reduction and improved relations as a possible approach.

Yeo stated, "A personal letter can show that President Biden recognizes Kim Jong-un as a strong leader, which could soften Kim Jong-un," adding, "This kind of personal approach has been effective with Kim Jong-un in the past."

Yeo also proposed that the U.S., together with global partners, provide medical supplies and COVID-19 vaccines as a goodwill gesture, and if pandemic conditions permit, lift the ban on Americans traveling to North Korea.

He said, "The most politically difficult obstacle for the Biden administration will be to allow limited sanctions relief in exchange for North Korea freezing its nuclear and missile production," adding, "This would be an intermediate step toward denuclearization."

He continued, "Although this risks appearing like a conditional surrender, the U.S. is in a much more stable position than North Korea to make such concessions," and "The Biden administration could also withdraw sanctions relief if North Korea conducts additional missile or nuclear tests."

Yeo emphasized, "The U.S. and the international community cannot afford to ignore North Korea's provocations," and "Unfortunately, time is on North Korea's side, so we must find ways to engage again now."

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