Bong Young-shik

Inserted 2 years ago

“For the US, a joint declaration is acceptable if it is going to lead to meaningful and substantial progress with regards to North Korea's denuclearisation. But this declaration is not really closely connected with making progress on that front. And for North Korea, agreeing upon a joint declaration must lead to some substantial benefits. What North Korea wants the most is sanctions relief. But that is not something that the South Korean government can decide. So, unless there are guaranteed benefits, the North Korean government will not find that proposal attractive. This has been a long shot, a very long shot from the beginning.”

Aljazeera

Research fellow at the Yonsei University Institute for North Korean Studies in Seoul