Different Voices
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken said on Feb. 10 that it is up to President Park Geun-hye whether or how she will meet Kim Jong-un at a ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of World War II that is scheduled for May in Russia.
“The United States firmly supports her efforts for better inter-Korean relations, which are useful in various aspects,” he said at a press interview before his flight from Korea to China. He added, “Better inter-Korean relations are useful because it can help us determine whether the North is willing to engage, and it can lead to at least some progress in the talks for denuclearization.” He continued by saying, “Both Seoul and Washington have focused on the necessity of denuclearization, and the U.S. has clarified that it is open to the North in this context, but, unfortunately, North Korea seems to be uninterested in the engagement.”
He also mentioned that Seoul and Washington have officially agreed or decided on nothing with regard to THAAD in the Korean Peninsula. “THAAD is an excellent and purely defensive system, and it is to provide against North Korean threats, which means China does not have to be worried about it,” he added.
“North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons is the biggest cause for instability in the Korean Peninsula, and I think China needs to use its leverage based on its trade and relations with the North so that the North is encouraged to resume the talks,” he mentioned, continuing, “I will discuss this issue with my counterparts in Beijing.”
In the meantime, U.S. President Barak Obama reportedly will not participate in the Russian event. Ben Rhodes, the Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor said at a press conference held in the foreign correspondents club in Washington D.C. on February 9 (local time) that it would be not surprising if President Obama has no plans now to visit Moscow. In an answer to the question about how the U.S. would respond if South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye participates in the Russian event, he said that each nation will make the decision on its own judgment, but it is very important for allied nations to speak with the same voice against a Russia that supports the Ukrainian rebel forces.