SUNG KIM TALKS WITH S. KOREA-JAPAN

[Anchor Lead]

U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy Sung Kim met with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts in Seoul this morning. This meeting gained much attention as to what kind of message Washington has for Pyongyang. Just prior to this gathering, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said that he is prepared for dialogue or confrontation with the U.S. The Biden administration has reportedly prepared more forward-looking proposals than those of the Trump government so as to bring North Korea to the negotiating table.

[Pkg]

America's Special Representative for North Korea Policy visited South Korea a month after his appointment. Starting at 10 in the morning, meetings between South Korean, American and Japanese officials for North Korea were held in succession. The meetings mainly focused on ways to bring North Korea to the dialogue table.

[Soundbite] Sung Kim(U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy(Jun. 19))

A South Korean high-ranking official said that he doesn’t know what the message is but the U.S. cannot repeat the same thing, hinting at the possibility of Washington bringing a new message. Some of the new policies toward North Korea are said to be more forward-looking than the proposals made under the Trump administration. A foreign affairs authority on North Korea in the Biden administration said that although no details can be revealed since the Washington-Pyongyang dialogue hasn’t resumed, the U.S. is willing to lower the dialogue barrier more than the Trump administration. The source said the administration is designing proposals that can move North Korea. He also pointed out that Washington is thinking about which sanctions to ease on the condition that Pyongyang is willing to take meaningful denuclearization measures. However, it is clear that the U.S. will not relax the sanctions first. Apparently, Washington made four attempts to contact the regime so far. Although it didn't respond to the offer to talk, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently mentioned both dialogue and confrontation. Sung Kim may explain America’s proposals at the tripartite discussion and talk about how South Korea, the U.S. and Japan can work together. The source also said President Biden’s negotiation team is determined to bring the reclusive state to the dialogue table in a manner different from the “all-or-nothing” approach of the Trump administration.