Global Geopolitical Series: North Korea toughens stance on denuclearization

On Tuesday, North Korea’s newly appointed vice foreign minister Choe Son Hui announced that while North Korea’s commitment to denuclearize the Korean peninsula remains firm but that needs to be reciprocated by the United States. She cleared that the denuclearization would only happen if the United States changes its stance and will face undesired consequences should the United States fail to present a new position.

North Korea has been toughening its stance since the last summit between North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. president Donald Trump in Vietnam that failed unexpectedly to yield any meaningful result. The summit was cut short as Trump demanded significant and internationally verifiable progress in denuclearization before any sanctions relief, which could not be agreed upon.

The latest warning came after the North Korean leader held a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month, where he expressed his opposition to denuclearization at one go, without receiving any meaningful sanctions relief. Both Russia and China, two of North Korea’s key allies had voted in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in favor of denuclearization and toughened sanctions.  

North Korea also toughened stance on South Korea by demanding that South Korea voice its own opinions free from outside influence in inter-Korean affairs, by not minding the United States but to be more active in implementing the summit agreements signed last year. South Korean President Moon Jae In held two summits with the North Korean leader in April and September, where two sides reached an agreement to improve relations between the two Koreas.