North Korea takes wait-and-see tone

Posted 9:20AM on Friday 8th February 2002 ( 23 years ago )

UNITED NATIONS - North Korea, named by President Bush as part of an ``axis of evil,'' is waiting to see if the United States wants dialogue or hostile relations before determining its own course of action, North Korea's U.N. ambassador said. ``Nice words will be answered by nice words,'' Ambassador Pak Gil Yon said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press. But if the United States continues to make ``very, very hostile policy-making statements'' and chooses ``military options ... then our armed forces and our people would have no other choice to react on the same basis,'' he said. U.S. ally South Korea, whose ``sunshine policy'' of engaging the rival North is an effort to promote reconciliation and eventual reunification, said Bush's comment simply was ``a warning intended to keep weapons of mass destruction from falling into the hands of terrorists.'' South Korean Foreign Minister Choi Sung-hong told Seoul's MBC radio Friday: ``President Bush's remarks do not necessarily mean that the United States will launch military action against North Korea.'' In his State of the Union speech, Bush said North Korea was part of an ``axis of evil'' along with Iran and Iraq. He accused them of supporting terrorism and seeking weapons of mass destruction and warned they would face consequences. Pak repeated North Korea's official response, which said Bush's statement was ``little short of declaring a war'' and accused the United States of ``throwing away even the mask of 'dialogue' and 'negotiations.''' Since the speech, the Bush administration has reaffirmed its willingness to resume negotiations on security issues with North Korea. After a policy review, Bush offered to restart the talks last June, but North Korea has not replied. Bush suggested last Friday that as a goodwill gesture, North Korea should pull back some of the conventional forces massed near the border with South Korea. Pak declined to comment on that request. Asked whether North Korea is interested in resuming any kind of dialogue with the United States, Pak said, ``We are always looking forward to solution of the issues through negotiations and talks, but such negotiations should be (on) equal basis without any preconditions.'' ``It is entirely up to the United States,'' he said, reiterating that hostile American words and actions or ``nice'' ones would receive a corresponding response from his government. Pak is the highest ranking North Korean diplomat in the United States because Washington does not have diplomatic relations with Pyongyang. Critics said Bush's combative words could further damage South Korea's ``sunshine policy.'' Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday that Washington remains committed to helping South Korea pursue its North Korea policy. Bush is to visit South Korea Feb. 19-21. South Korea's foreign minister said his government will stress to the United States ``that South Korea's policy of engaging North Korea is the most realistic option.'' A major South Korean labor group - the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions - plans demonstrations against Bush during his visit. Rallies will be held near the U.S. Embassy, the main U.S. military base and other locations in Seoul, spokesman Sohn Nak-koo said Friday. North-South relations improved after South Korean President leader Kim Dae-jung and North Korea's Kim Jong Il held a summit in Pyongyang in June 2000, but the reconciliation process has since slowed to a virtual halt. Pak indicated it would not move forward as long as South Korea's policy is influenced by the United States. He said the heart of the summit declaration was that ``reunification should be achieved by the joint efforts by the Korean people without relying (on) outside forces.'' If the United States interferes in a hostile way, he said, ``how could any talk or contact between the North and South be achieved and realized?'' On Wednesday, CIA director George Tenet said North Korea is selling components and completed ballistic missiles to nations including Iran, Libya and Syria, and using the profits to finance its missile program and probably its development of banned weapons. Pak refused to discuss North Korea's missile program, but he proffered a Foreign Ministry statement assailing Japan for launching a rocket on Monday. It accused the United States of promoting Japan's missile development while trying to stifle North Korea's, and warned this would compel Pyongyang ``to further increase its independent defense capabilities.'' Meanwhile, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency slammed Bush's proposed $48 billion increase in defense spending as an ``expression of the dominationist nature of the U.S.'' ``This clearly proves that the U.S., 'Empire of Devil,' is posing a grave threat to the world peace and stability,'' the agency said.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/2/203115