US open to direct talks with North Korea, says Pence

The US is open to direct talks with North Korea after reaching an agreement with Seoul on a diplomatic approach to Pyongyang, according to US vice-president Mike Pence.

Mr Pence’s stance, outlined in an interview with the Washington Post, follows a flurry of North Korean diplomatic activity at the Winter Olympics that culminated with its leader Kim Jong-un inviting Moon Jae-in, South Korea’s president, to Pyongyang for an inter-Korean summit.

The US vice-president said Washington had no plans to ease its sanctions-led pressure campaign to encourage Mr Kim to denuclearise, but suggested the US was open to negotiations alongside such efforts – a sentiment at odds with the hard-line stance previously articulated by the White House.

“The maximum pressure campaign is going to continue and intensify. But if you want to talk, we’ll talk,” Mr Pence told the Post, referring to the White House’s campaign to economically isolate and punish the North Korean regime for its advanced weapons programmes.

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His comments come days after Mr Pence appeared to take a contradictory approach, saying on Friday that Pyongyang must first abandon its nuclear weapons before talks could proceed.

Mixed messages

It is not the first time the White House has offered mixed messages. In December Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, made similar comments about dialogue without preconditions, before walking back the comments.

On Monday, Seoul sought to bolster its effort to achieve a detente on the Korean peninsula, outlining grounds for improved relations ahead of a potential inter-Korean summit.

The ministry of unification in Seoul called for deepening of ties, including steps towards the reunion of elderly families separated by the Korean war.

The development reflects an understanding by Mr Moon that he must extract some concessions from the North before rushing into what would be a landmark meeting with Mr Kim.

“Moon Jae-in has made clear that a blank invitation will not just work. The message is that North Korea needs to be more forthcoming,” said Kim Byung-joo, a professor at the Korea Development Institute.

Despite being supportive of peace on the Korean peninsula, many observers – including young South Koreans as well as US officials – remain sceptical about Pyongyang’s motives and see the detente as merely serving the regime’s interests.

Mr Moon’s challenge is to demonstrate to his political opponents in Seoul and South Korea’s allies in Washington that he can extract real concessions from North Korea.

“His space is now pretty limited. He has done a lot to get to this point. The ball is now in Kim Jong-un’s court,” said Prof Kim, adding that this could be an opportunity for Pyongyang to reconsider its position of nuclear weapons development.

‘Likely to compromise’

Cheong Seong-chang, a research fellow at the Sejong Institute, agreed, saying Mr Kim’s offer of the summit suggested he was “highly likely to compromise” on nuclear weapons.

Song Min-soon, a former South Korean foreign minister, said that even small, symbolic gestures from the North were crucial.

“In this situation, we can hardly expect serious concessions. But symbolic gestures that can be interpreted positively go a long way. That is the art of diplomacy,” he said.

“Success breeds success. So we should start with small moves and go step by step.”

However, Mr Moon faces a sceptical public. Young South Koreans share little affinity with what they see as a rogue regime in Pyongyang, and Mr Moon is likely to be lambasted by the nation’s conservative press if he is perceived as being overly friendly or generous to Pyongyang. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2018