hankyoreh

a woman sits wearing a yellow jacket

By Park Min-hee, Beijing Correspondent

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il said Wednesday that North Korea advocates that the six-party talks on Korean Peninsula nuclear issue be resumed at an early time, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday.

As talks took place between Kim and Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing, Xinhua News reported, “Kim said the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea hopes to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula, sticks to the objective of denuclearization on the　Korean Peninsula and believes that the six-party talks should be resumed at an early date.”

According to the report, Kim said the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPKR), the country’s official name, sincerely hopes, as always, that relations between the DPRK and the Republic of Korea (ROK) can improve.

The remark seemed to hint at Kim’s hope for better relations with South Korea much more strongly than his remarks during the summit with Hu in August 2011, when he said he hoped for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Kim appreciated China’s efforts on pushing for the resumption of the six-party talks and safeguarding peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Kim also said the DPRK is now concentrating its attention and resources on economic development, and it is in great need of a stable neighboring environment.

Experts on the Korean Peninsula issues said that Kim’s remarks show his strong will to improve foreign relations, including inter-Korean relations, for North Korea’s economic recovery aiming at construction of “strong and prosperous” nation by 2012.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that Kim and Hu recognized that peaceful resolution of the nuclear standoff through dialogue, including the resumption of the six-party talks, and the “elimination of obstructive elements” conforms to the overall interests in the region.

Hu said China’s　government and party will “creditably discharge the historic responsibility for steadfastly carrying forward the baton of the traditional Sino-DPRK friendship,” the KCNA said. Hu’s remark suggests that China may approve North Korea’s third generation succession.

In response to Kim’s remarks, speaking to reporters in a daily press briefing on Thursday, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Washington’s stance remains unchanged, and that the relations between the two Koreas must be improved before any further talks on the resumption of the six party talks can be made.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]