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N. Korea shows willingness for talks with a string attached

N. Korea shows willingness for talks with a string attached

Posted December. 04, 2017 08:42,   

Updated December. 04, 2017 08:56

한국어

North Korea has reportedly expressed willingness to come back to the negotiating table in a shifted attitude following its declaration of successfully becoming a “nuclear state.” Yet, the hermit kingdom is still said to have demanded that it should be first recognized as a nuclear power before resuming long-awaited dialogue with the United States, Russia’s news agency TASS reported Friday (local time).

A parliamentary delegation of Russia's lower house, the State Duma, paid a four-day visit to Pyongyang from last Friday, and met with the North Korean leadership including Kim Young Nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, and Ri Su Yong, vice chairman for International Affairs of the Workers’ Party. “President Kim Young Nam said the North is prepared for talks (with Washington),” told Vitaly Pashin, a member of the Russian parliamentary delegation. “North Korea has declared that it has achieved its goal of becoming a nuclear state with the successful launch of the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), it is ready to conduct negotiations with the United States.”

Kim Young Nam’s reported talks with the Russian lawmakers about his country’s willingness to resume negotiations came a day after Pyongyang proclaimed the achievement of full nuclear statehood after it test launched the Hwasong-15 missile last Wednesday.



In-Chan Hwang hic@donga.com · Na-Ri Shin journari@donga.com