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Former U.S. ambassador Christopher Hill publishes his memoir

Former U.S. ambassador Christopher Hill publishes his memoir

Posted October. 17, 2015 08:16,   

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It was immediately before the September 19 Joint Statement of the six-party talks was announced in 2005. Condoleezza Rice, then-U.S. secretary of state made a call to then U.S. Assistant Secretary Christopher Hill of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs who was the head of the U.S. delegation to the six-party talks, asking if the phrase of “peaceful coexistence between North Korea and the United States” could be removed from the document. She explained that “peaceful coexistence” was the expressionthat was mainly used during the height of the Cold War, and therefore, need to be taken out. Christopher Hill thought that she was pushed by someone and in fact, the American neocons were having her under their influence.

It was not easy to amend the wording of a statement that the six parties had already agreed on. Hill suggested that the phrase of “peaceful coexistence” be replaced with “coexist in a peaceful manner.” Having received the approval, Hill ran to Wu Dawei, the then head of China delegation to the six-party talks who asked back, “Do you want to change the text at this last moment?” Hill persuaded him that the new wording was “better English with more excellent expression," which successfully brought about the agreement.

One of the driving figures who criticized Washington’s strong response to Pyongyang’s nuclear program and played a critical role in releasing the September 19 Joint Statement, Christopher Hill wrote the memoir of his 33-year diplomatic career, which includes nuclear negotiations with North Korea.

He was at the scene where the Bosnian war ended in 1995, Macedonia-Kosovo refugee camp riot broke out in 1999 and the September 19 Joint Statement was drafted in 2005, all of which were major milestones in the international diplomatic circle after the 1980s. The memoir was filled with fresh memories of these historical records.

He also introduced why he made a visit to the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju in September 2004 for the first time as a U.S. Ambassador to Korea. During his ambassador term in Korea, anti-American sentiment ran high due to “the death of a middle school girl hit by armored vehicle” and “Patriot missile deployment and missile defense system.”

Hill said that there was widespread perception that the U.S. had played its roles in preventing Korea’s democracy from further progress, adding that he wanted to pay tribute and respect to those who sacrificed their lives, fighting for Korea’s democracy by visiting Gwangju.

It was never easy for him to resolve Pyongyang’s nuclear issues. He used to say half jokingly that it seems that he was an assistant secretary of North Korea. Having gone through serious conflict with neocons, he never gave up resolving issues through negotiation.



spear@donga.com