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| ▲ South Korea's former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon is seen speaking during a North Korea policy forum, hosted by the Institute for Korean Studies, George Washington University, in Washington on Feb. 21, 2023 in this captured image. (Yonhap) |
US-NK relations-former PM
U.S. needs to take reciprocal steps to denuclearize N. Korea: former PM
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (Yonhap) -- The United States needs to take steps to assure the security of North Korea simultaneously with Pyongyang taking steps to denuclearize, former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Tuesday.
Lee made the assertion based on a premise that survival is more critical to North Korea than the U.S. or others may believe.
"It is not possible to succeed in denuclearization talks with North Korea without addressing its perception of security threat and desire for survival," Lee said at a North Korea policy forum hosted by the George Washington University Institute for Korean Studies.
Lee argued the North had sought to normalize relations with the U.S. and Japan after the end of the Cold War, but failed to do so "as South Korea obstructed it and the U.S. ignored the call."
"On September 8, 2022, Kim Jong-un declared that North Korea would neither give up on its nuclear weapons nor negotiate on denuclearization," he said, referring to the North Korean leader by his name. "Kim's statement shows North Korea's strong victim mentality and perception of security threat."
The former South Korean prime minister also noted that the U.S. and North Korea had agreed to normalize relations "on multiple occasions," but such agreements have not been implemented due to what he called the countries' "entrenched mutual mistrust."
"To increase the chance of successful negotiations, the issue of North Korea's denuclearization should be addressed in parallel with mutually reducing threats and improving relations between the U.S. and North Korea," Lee told the forum.
"Washington and Pyongyang must act towards denuclearization and diplomatic normalization in an incremental, simultaneous, and reciprocal manner to overcome their entrenched mutual mistrust," he added.
Lee insisted that improved relations with North Korea would lead to a greater chance to change the way North Korea behaves.
"With no relations, comes no influence," he said.
[https://youtu.be/JSLLYMICrCQ]
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